Allan Blaske's Photo Gallery
KX5-CJNQuartz SiO2
Dimensions: 5 cm x 4 cm x 3 cm
Field of View: 5 cm
Small (up to 4 mm) quartz crystals from Manganese Creek, Keweenaw County, Michigan. Collected in creek in vicinity of the Lake Manganese Vein on the north side of Lake Manganese. Quartz has light purple amethyst color. Quartz is coating fracture surfaces and space between clasts in Copper Harbor Conglomerate. Collected by, photographed by, and in the collection of Allan Blaske.
04W-33PQuartz SiO2
Dimensions: 1.5 cm x 1.2 cm x 1.2 cm
Field of View: 1.4 cm
Small (up to 2 mm) quartz crystals from Manganese Creek, Keweenaw County, Michigan. Collected in creek in vicinity of the Lake Manganese Vein on the north side of Lake Manganese. Quartz has light purple amethyst color. Found in small veins along fracture surfaces within Copper Harbor Conglomerate. Collected by, photographed by, and in the collection of Allan Blaske.
Mining at the Shumake Deposit
Mining of the Shumake Deposit, 1988. This photograph shows the early stages of mining, which began in early 1988 on the deposit.
Close up of Shumake Deposit land surface.
Land surface of the Shumake Deposit on the west side of Middle Buttes Volcanic Complex. Skyline on upper left is composed of a massive quartz vein, known to mine geologists as the Shumake Vein. Hydrothermally altered rhyolite in foreground, with mine dump from historic workings in the lower left. Photograph taken in 1987 by Allan Blaske during MS thesis research.
View of Shumake Deposit, looking northwest.
View of pre-mining Shumake Deposit on the west side of Middle Buttes Volcanic Complex. Photograph shows exploration roads and ore loading shoot, tailings, and trenching from historic mining operations. Tehachapi Mountains in the background. Taking in 1987 just prior to beginning of mining.
Pre-mining Shumake Deposit
A pre-mining view of the Shumake Deposit on the west side of Middle Buttes Volcanic Complex. Roads were created for exploration drilling. Joshua Trees and Creosote Bushes in foreground. Photograph taken in 1987 before mining began.
Entrance to historic workings within Shumake Deposit
Entrance to historic underground workings of the Shumake Deposit, Middle Buttes Volcanic Complex, taken in 1987. Allan Blaske (on right) preparing to enter workings to collect samples for MS thesis research.
7T4-MYKQuartz SiO2
Dimensions: 9 cm x 8 cm x 7 cm
Field of View: 9.5 cm
One of the thick quartz veins in the Shumake Deposit, termed by Shumake Vein by mine geologists. This vein was near the pre-mining ground surface. The vein consisted of massive cherty quartz, sometimes banded, with minor small druzy openings. Abundant iron hydroxide staining from oxidation. In thin section, the quartz consisted of cherty, interlocking grains 1-10 microns across, with coarser cherty quartz up to 50 microns that graded into a felted texture. This sample contains a late-stage, banded, open quartz vein with quartz crystals up to 3 mm. Collected in 1987 by Allan Blaske during MS Thesis research. In the collection of and photographed by Allan Blaske.
HF3-0NCQuartz SiO2
Dimensions: 11 cm x 6.5 cm x 4 cm
Field of View: 11.5 cm
Oxidized, brecciated Cactus Vein with minor sulfides and fragments of altered rhyolite. The Cactus Vein was up to 10 feet thick and at the contact between the underlying quartz monzonite and overlying rhyolite. The Cactus Vein was predominantly fine-grained quartz and was repeatedly brecciated. The quartz showed a felted and cherty texture in thin section, and included relict quartz phenocrysts from the surrounding rhyolite. Arsenopyrite is the dominant sulfide mineral, and causes the black coloration in the sample. This sample is almost completely oxidized, with very few sulfide minerals remaining. Oxidation in the form of iron hydroxides and scorodite. This particular sample assayed 0.94 ounces gold per ton. Collected underground from historic mine workings in 1987 during MS Thesis research. Collected by, in collection of, and photographed by Allan Blaske.
T31-CD4Quartz SiO2
Dimensions: 12 cm x 8.5 cm x 5.5 cm
Field of View: 13 cm
Sawn slab of the Cactus Vein, Shumake Deposit, Middle Buttes Volcanic Complex. This vein was up to 10 feet thick and at the contact between the underlying quartz monzonite and overlying rhyolite. The Cactus Vein was predominantly fine-grained quartz and was repeatedly brecciated. This sample shows fragments of rhyolite which were included into the overall vein. The vein quartz showed a felted and cherty texture in thin section. Arsenopyrite is the dominant sulfide mineral, and causes the black coloration in the sample. Multiple episodes of brecciation and quartz veinlets from hydrothermal alteration evident. Late-stage oxidation along fractures left iron hydroxides, scorodite, and kaolinite. Collected underground from historic mine workings in 1987 during MS Thesis research. Collected by, in collection of, and photographed by Allan Blaske.
