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GeneralPicking through Mine Tailings/Dumps

6th Oct 2011 23:50 UTCTracie Ellis

Greetings Rockhounds!

I'm working on a book idea, and one of the chapters will go over where to find rocks. I got this weird idea of "what about if you get permission to visit a mine (old, defunct, etc), can you pick through the tailings for anything interesting? Is it feasible? Or a waste of effort?"

Any answers to this question would be wonderful! Also, hah, where do I go for finding old mines, and getting permission to be at them? BLM, or somewhere else? I'm sure I have this info, but I would ask again, for clarity's sake.

I would like to be able to quote whomever answers for the book, and would then invite you to leave me contact information so we can discuss it off the board. It will be a 'new-age' type book, but a different kind (not a 'sapphire is good for this ailment' kind of book).

7th Oct 2011 00:38 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Hello Tracie,

It is every mineral collectors dream to be able to go through a mine's dump. Unfortunately it is very difficult if not impossible to get permission to do so at most operating mines and often even at abandoned mines. I am not saying that it is impossible just very very difficult, especially on an individual bases ( groups such as rock clubs have better luck). If you can accomplish this that would be awesome.

7th Oct 2011 01:12 UTCTrevor Dart

I agree with Reiner, old mine dumps are the best place to fossick for minerals. As for permission... different countries and then the different states within all have different laws about fossicking. Some require only the permission from the landholder to fossick over old areas of their property while others require a licence to access. Some old mines of course are still owned, even if they have not been worked in many years. To determine what the access rights to an old mine dump are, will require a lot of ground work. I suggest that when you write this section of the book, look at what the federal and state laws are on fossicking over old abandoned mines and use the quote "always seek permission from the landholder or lease-holder first. If unsure then do not attempt to access until permission is granted". I know that some old abandoned mines have been taken up as specimen mines and these are off limits now to fossickers.

7th Oct 2011 01:20 UTCDon Saathoff Expert

BLM publishes "Land Use Maps" which show you which mines are patented but not which mines are merely under claim. By law, every non-patented claim must have claim corner markers and one of these will have some kind of container with the claim form inside. Around here (New Mexico) the claim form is usually in a mason jar under a cairn of rocks and the other corner markers are simply white rods of wood or metal.

As for hunting dumps of abandoned mines, these are a treasure trove for the micro collector - last week Cookie & I found 4 quite nice wire silver specimens at the base of a dump so dumps can be rewarding. Most of us micro collectors are looking for secondary minerals which usually occur in the upper, oxidized portion of the deposit so if the mining has been extensive the "good stuff" will be under the dump and around the margins of the dump - it really deprnds on what you're looking for. Just remember that you've gotta bust a lotta rock!!

Don

7th Oct 2011 03:05 UTCDavid Bernstein Expert

I'm not exactly sure what you guys are talking about. I retired a number of years ago due to health problems. And I had to fill the time while my son was in school. Every morning just about, I wake up and go somewhere. There are many hundreds of abandoned mines here in New Jersey, more in New York and Pennsylvania. Some of my best pieces come from digging deep in tailings. It's simple to do if you have the determination, ingenuity and have a thing for pouring over old reports and getting in your car and going. No, I don't have anything that's going in the Smithsonian but you'd be surprised what I've dug up.

I could write several books regarding the adventures I have had, the material I have dug up, the places I have seen and the way I went about it. And I assure you, if I can do it, anyone can.

7th Oct 2011 03:51 UTCTracie Ellis

Thank you all for your answers. It is a great start!

Time to go poking around the BLM's website again.

7th Oct 2011 15:05 UTCBart Cannon

Two cents from Bart Cannon.

I've collected at well over 3,000 mine workings in the U.S. from Maine to California and from 1962 to 2010..

When I was younger, I sometimes trespassed. Only once did I raise the hackles of a mine owner. But soon we became friends. Probably because he liked my dog, The mine owners showed up in cowboy hats and asked if I owned the mine. I said no. That also seemed to placate them a bit. Honesty works even if you are "stealing" their waste rock and taking the toxic materials they are liable for back to you basement.

These days, due to changes in U.S. mining laws, 95% of mine workings are truly abandoned claims. The Feds actively buy out patented mining claims to clear out inholders. Few patented claims are left.

Active sites are usually posted or have some kind of evidence of current activity. Stay away from those, but if you are just poking around on the dump, it is not likely you will get in trouble even if the mine owner shows up. Exception being, claims with free gold. Those guys carry guns.

Major mining companies will have their mining or exploratoin access roads gated. You don't want to get caught on the other side of a mining company gate.

Under no circumstances should you enquire of the BLM or USFS for permission to collect. They have little authority or knowledge of the circumstance, and since they are government employees, their answer will always be NO since they are not paid to err on the side of the common citizen.

I no longer go underground unless I am certain that the property is truly abandoned or I have specific permission from the owner.

Collect away, if you can find a mine dump with road access or less than a 10 mile hike. An increasingly rare situation.

There is a Federal program to fill all mine shafts and close all mine tunnels. If your desire is to do underground exploration, your time is closing in

Surface prospects will always be collectable, depending upon private property restrictions getting to them.

If a rancher puts up a gate across access to public lands and no one protests to the BLM then he can deny access to hundreds of square miles of public lands.

Near Arco, Idaho there are two great collecting localites on the slopes of Blizzard Mountain. Huebnerite xls in quartz vugs and easily visible valentinite crystals just two hundred yards from the county road. I encountered a wire gate on the USFS road, and spoke with the rancher. He was hostile. A major mining company was diamond drilling on the valentinite breccia zone. They had to use a helicopter to get their drill rig and employees in. Two hundred yards. The rancher wouldn't allow access no matter how much they tried to pay him to drive the lousy 200 yards.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to get the official determination on his adverse possession of federal property. When he would see my Jeepster he would head right out to meet me with his shotgun. He said "I'm surprised that you're not a lot more scratched up than you are". He got to like me, but he never let me drive that lousy 200 yards.

15th Oct 2011 03:42 UTCTracie Ellis

I have to say I'm having a hard time navigating the BLM website. I haven't found where to get Land Use Maps, nor have I found anything that helps me with fossicking in North Carolina.

I'm still looking, but any help is greatly appreciated. If I find something, I'll update.

15th Oct 2011 05:23 UTCanna john

First, go over the dumps. Anything both small and large had to come out of that mine. I've found just about most of the items listed on mindat just by looking thru the dumps. Early miners were not interested in crystals and probably ignored them whiles dumping the refuse which in most cases carried many valuable crystals. What is most important is that what may not be left in the mine, may be on the dumps.

15th Oct 2011 07:15 UTCMatt Neuzil Expert

how much does a helicopter rent for????????? (:D

15th Oct 2011 10:47 UTCBart Cannon

The standard Hughes 500C helicoter flies at about 85 mph, can carry two passengers and gear and rents for $900 / hour.

You pay for ALL flight time, including the time it takes for the chopper to get from its hanger to the site and back.

Most will also charge for you for the time required while the chopper sits there and cools the engine before unloading, and then warming up before taking off again.

They won't carry gasoline anymore.

The best way to go broke is mineral mining.

15th Oct 2011 15:46 UTCKelly Nash 🌟 Expert

In Alaska, $3,000/hr.

15th Oct 2011 20:58 UTCFrank de Wit Manager

3.000/hr is only 50 USD per minute, that's ok

in the Swiss Alps it's more expensive, ca. 70-90 Euro (REGA) per minute -> 123 USD per minute

Perhaps they give a discount if you rent a chopper per hour ;)

Cheers, Frank

16th Oct 2011 01:31 UTCTracie Ellis

Um, not sure what the last 5 replies to this thread have to do with my questions about the BLM, but I am rather new to much of rockhounding.

A helicopter would be interesting, but way out of reach to rent for a weekend...

16th Oct 2011 02:59 UTCBart Cannon

Tracie,

Your question about the BLM was answered early on.

As master of digression, I will point out that Mindat is our living room.

There is no way to forecast the direction where the discussion will devolve toward.

But look at what you have learned.

Many mineral localities can only be accessed by helicopter, and affordable by those eager to go broke with chopper costs..

Bart Cannon

Master of Digression

16th Oct 2011 03:31 UTCTracie Ellis

And the newer question? That I'm having problems FINDING land use maps?

16th Oct 2011 05:06 UTCScott L. Ritchie Expert

Tracie,

You need to contact the various state offices of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and their respective customer service agents will be able to provide you with the (static) public land resource management maps you are looking for by mail. The dropdown list of state offices and centers can be found on the left side of the BLM homepage. The electronic maps (dynamic), are no longer available as of earlier this year.

http://www.blm.gov/wo/st/en.html

Scott

16th Oct 2011 09:21 UTCBart Cannon

Tracie,

There has never been, nor will there ever be, some master map created by the BLM or the USFS which will indicate land status with regard to locations which may be collected with the blessings of the Federal Agencies.

Dig no holes, leave no gates un-closed, toss no lit cigarettes, shoot no game, and go collect some rocks, and quit worrying.

Bart

Master of digression and repetition

16th Oct 2011 10:36 UTCScott L. Ritchie Expert

Tracie,

Bart is just being ornery. I can tell you that both the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service have maps available to the public that show the land boundaries and jurisdiction of public lands. The scale of these maps may require additional information be obtained from the local ranger district office or resource management area field office, if there is a specific area you are investigating. The local offices are usually more helpful determining which areas are open to prospecting or rockhounding, and can usually assist you in finding an area that is unencumbered by active mining claims and has unfettered road access.

Something to keep in mind with books describing public lands with accessible mineral collecting areas is the problem that every day the management status, ownership and access issues can change, but the information in the book remains the same, so it's usefulness as a guide rather short-lived, that is unless you generalize things. Perhaps it would be best to focus on areas that are already popular with mineral collectors that have a long history of allowing public access, even if it requires a fee to collect.

Scott

16th Oct 2011 15:05 UTCBart Cannon

Scott,

Not being ornery, just giving good, highly experienced advice, perhaps with a "tinge" of impatience.

We do not know if Tracie has a particular location in mind or if she wants to know about the collecting status of all federal lands in the western United States. She needs to tell us EXACTLY what her goals are.

It seems to me that Tracie is so cautious and thoughtful that she will never find herself in trouble with the BLM, the USFS or land owners.

The joy of exploration often involves the benign passing across property lines where there are no gates or signs.

Technically, walking into my neighbor's yard is trespassing.

Bart

16th Oct 2011 22:00 UTCScott L. Ritchie Expert

Bart,

Offering feckless advice is not helpful to anyone, especially considering one of the prime tenets of mindat.org is ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary. Implying to Tracie that she won't get in trouble for trespassing and theft is unconscionable. Perhaps it's time to refrain from telling half-truths and tall-tales, at least when not sitting around the campfire. B)-

Scott

17th Oct 2011 02:58 UTCBart Cannon

Scott,

I want to help people collect minerals.

It seems you don't share my goal.

Bart

17th Oct 2011 08:01 UTCErik Hanson

With all due respect Bart, "Mineral Trespass" (collecting without claim owners' permission) will land you a Class C Felony in Washington State should the owner be unforgiving or hostile. With the price of gold theres alot of folks running around the hills right now and I happen to know a couple of "unforgiving" claim owners who are fed up and will call the authorities on sight. Not sure about Tracies' area, but I wouldn't want to find out the hard way.

17th Oct 2011 12:15 UTCTracie Ellis

Erik, how did you find out about the law on mineral collecting? This is the kind of information I think I will need for that section of my book (where to find minerals and crystals). I would like to at least be able to advise a reader "go to this location on the internet, or this book to find precise information about mineral collecting in your state (and country)". Most books don't seem to offer that information beyond "figure out who owns the property and ask permission before collecting" - I don't know how one does that. Someone's earlier advice on finding the border markers; well, I would have to know the borders first I guess.

At this point of writing, I'm still gathering chunks of research. If I had more detailed questions to throw out I would.

I came looking for advice, asking for help. I do not want to encourage people to break laws, or for that matter, get shot at by some angry property owners! (paying a fine being perhaps less 'painful' than dealing with bullet holes)

Didn't Mindat have locality pages at one point?

At this point I have lots of questions that need answering, but these are the ones that needed answering first.

Tracie

17th Oct 2011 19:04 UTCScott L. Ritchie Expert

Tracie,

I'd like to think that the point Bart was trying to make here is that life is short, and ignorance is bliss. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_pill_and_blue_pill.

The federal statutes and laws that govern mining are very complex and require years of study to fully comprehend, and there is no easy way to condense thousands of pages of legal nuance into a short chapter of generalities complete with corresponding URLs. Now combine this with the twenty-something state laws that also apply, and you begin to understand why nobody could possibly be able to answer your questions regarding mineral collecting on public land, at least in the short and simple format that you are requesting.

This is why I originally suggested that you should perhaps focus your writing efforts on describing several popular locations for collecting minerals that have a long history of allowing the public access, such as the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas, or the Rockhound State Park in New Mexico, etc. Information on these localities is available at mindat.org.

However, just in case you're not easily daunted, here is the basis of the federal law:

A. Statues, General.

1. Act of April 25, 1812 (2 Stat. 716, Revised Statute § 453, 43 U.S.C. § 2).

2. Act of September 28, 1850 (9 Stat. 520, Revised Statute § 2478, 43 U.S.C. § 1201).

3. The Lode Law of July 4, 1866 (14 Stat. 86, Revised Statute § 2318, 30 U.S.C. § 21).

4. The Placer Act of July 9, 1870 (16 Stat. 217, Revised Statue § 2329, 30 U.S.C. 35).

5. The General Mining Law of May 10, 1872 (19 Stat. 91, 30 U.S.C. §§ 21-54).

6. The Act of September 20, 1922 (42 Stat. 857, Revised Statute § 2450, 43 U.S.C. §§ 1161-1164).

7. The Act of April 8, 1948 (62 Stat. 162); the O and C Lands Act.

8. The Multiple Mineral Development Act of August 14, 1954 (68 Stat. 708, 30 U.S.C. § 521 et seq.).

9. The Surface Resources Act of July 23, 1955 (69 Stat. 368, 30 U.S.C. §§ 611-615).

10. The Mining and Minerals Policy Act of December 31, 1970 (84 Stat. 1876, 30 U.S.C. § 21a).

11. The Mining in the Parks Act of September 28, 1976 (90 Stat. 1342, 16 U.S.C. § 1901).

12. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of October 21, 1976 (90 Stat. 2743, 43 U.S.C. § 1701).

13. National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research, and Development Act of October 21, 1980 (94 Stat. 2305, 30 U.S.C. § 1601).

B. Laws, Specific.

1. The Act of August 4, 1892 (27 Stat. 348, 30 U.S.C. § 161), the Building Stone Placer Act.

2. The Stockraising Homestead of December 29, 1916 (39 Stat. 864, 107 Stat. 60, 43 U.S.C. § 299).

3. The Act of December 22, 1928 (45 Stat. 1069, 43 U.S.C. §§ 1068-1068b); Color-of-Title.

4. The Act of April 23, 1932 (47 Stat. 136, 43 U.S.C. § 154).

5. The Act of June 18, 1934 (48 Stat. 984, 25 U.S.C. § 463); Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation in Arizona.

6. The Alaska Public Sale Act of August 30, 1949 (63 Stat. 679, 43 U.S.C. §§ 687b-687b-4).

7. The Mining Claim Rights Restoration Act of August 11, 1955 (69 Stat. 682, 30 U.S.C. §§ 621-625).

8. The Wilderness Act of September 3, 1964 (78 Stat. 890, 16 U.S.C. §§ 1131-1136).

9. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of October 2, 1968 (82 Stat. 906, 6 U.S.C. §§ 1271-1287).

10. The California Desert Protection Act of October 31, 1994 (108 Stat. 4471, 16 U.S.C. § 410aaa et seq.).

Good luck,

Scott

17th Oct 2011 19:37 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

I doubt that most of the laws mentioned above have much practical relevance to the average rockhounds' small-scale recreational collecting, so don't let them scare you too much, Tracie. (I'm not talking about specimen-mining projects with heavy tools.) Most rock collectors (myself included) pick up samples from abandoned mine dumps without getting into trouble even once in their whole lives. If one follows the most elementary common-sense precautions, like respecting locked gates and no-trespassing signs, refraining from collecting in national parks and similar protected areas, legal trouble is unlikely and a law degree unnecessary. I'm sure you could find examples of exceptions, people who got into trouble picking up a rock in a place that looked OK, but that's what they are: exceptions.

17th Oct 2011 21:25 UTCTracie Ellis

Thank you Scott for that help. I appreciate that you took the time to find the statues that would cover this. I don't read 'legalese' well, but I can probably muddle through some of it.

I will also take your advice and make a point of talking about the fee mining places more than abandoned mines.

Alfredo, your advice is also sound. Thank you for the reply.

Tracie

17th Oct 2011 21:33 UTCBart Cannon

Erik, Scott,

It seems that no one actually reads my posts. Check through them in this thread, and you will learn that I have covered every aspect of every concern.

I am one of the World's most experienced field collectors. "Ignorance is bliss" does not apply to me.

Scott,

The main "Tenet" of Mindat is the friendly exchange of information. Not the insult charged communications that you have directed toward me.

My relationship counselor, Rock Currier has suggested that we experiment with a "trial separation".

Bart

17th Oct 2011 22:53 UTCD Mike Reinke

Tracie,

Have you heard of the series of books 'Roadside Geology of (a state)'? Is something like that the direction you want to go? Have you ever heard of Plat books? I found out when I lived in the rurals the local county, or surveyors or such have a booklet-map of the county plotting out who owns what parcels of land in that county, very helpful, but very local. R&M magazine I think it was, awhile back, had a series of articles on panning under certain highways in some states, because under the highway is state ground, where trespassing should not be an issue. Parking, maybe.....! as you can tell, mindat draws from ones from all walks of life, and attitudes, and you can't hear tone of voice on a typed thread, so some misunderstand each other, and thankfully, this is mindat not grammerdat, so keep contributing, everyone!

hope dis 'elps

Mike

17th Oct 2011 23:07 UTCAnonymous User

I can't help but agree with Bart. He tells it like it is.

Get the booklet "Mining claims and sites on public domain lands"

17th Oct 2011 23:39 UTCBrian Wright

Some insight from the United Kingdom might help. Much of Scotland and Wales, much less in England, is open access land for public recreation. This should by definition include a right to explore abandoned mine dumps for minerals, located on access land. However, some officials don't appreciate the exercise of freedoms under the law by geology enthusiasts if this conflicts with their god given duty to stop people enjoying themselves and doing no harm in the process. I am fighting this prejudicial attitude, especially in Wales. There are abandoned mine dumps all over Wales, many containing workable traces of gold, silver and other metals. On access land, there is a right to at least dig about in the surface, though taking any base metals is actually more problematic than taking native gold or silver. The registered mineral rights owner or freeholder will have a claim on base metals but may have no basis for claiming platinum for an example, as this element was unknown when the ancient laws were drawn up. The visitor relying upon access law won't want to argue the finer points of land law with irate farmers who think they can still intimidate rambling mineral hunters. A few weeks ago I was exploring an island which the land registry confirmed was not registered or mortgaged, and was clearly unmanaged, abandoned and unfenced. A red faced farmer type ran across a field and made out to attack me if I didn't run away, I approached him as fast as he came at me, with the land registry map in my hand. He backed off quick, clinging on to branches and breaking off twigs to throw at me. I told him to clear off as he wasn't the owner, just the neighbour. So he cleared off swearing, but I didn't take this for granted. I returned to my van a few hundred yards away, and he was trying to puncture my fuel tank! I chased him with my spade and he drove off, but not before he threatened to call in the national park warden, who I know doesn't exist.

The lesson is that we might have rights to this and that, but there are buggers who have no greater rights than us who will try to put us off.

18th Oct 2011 04:37 UTCScott L. Ritchie Expert

Alfredo, I agree with you to an extent, and normally I wouldn't bother with the information overload, but she specifically asked for the law, so I provided it!

Tracie, you are most welcome, and apologies for the voluminous legalese. :)o

Bart, I'm sorry you feel slighted, but you need to rethink what you posted earlier. Hopefully you understand my position on the matter, as this is not a personal issue between us.

At the bottom of every locality page on mindat.org, the following is stated:

"You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary."

Now here is what you said earlier in the thread (emphasis added):

"Active sites are usually posted or have some kind of evidence of current activity. Stay away from those, but if you are just poking around on the dump, it is not likely you will get in trouble even if the mine owner shows up. Exception being, claims with free gold. Those guys carry guns."

Do you see how what you said was contrary to the policy of mindat.org? We want to discourage people from collecting minerals without the owner's permission, no exceptions.

It needs to be pointed out here that there is no legal right granted by statute for "recreational mineral collecting." What Alfredo is actually referring to, is called "prospecting for valuable minerals", and prospecting in most cases is initially accomplished by individuals using small (light) hand tools.

The reason US citizens are allowed to prospect for valuable minerals on the federal public domain is only because of the laws I posted in my previous message, and these rights are not based on some imaginary international human rights accord for "rockhounds" of all countries to enjoy themselves in the US while taking whatever non-renewable resources from the public domain lands that they feel inclined to collect free-of-cost.

This confounding of terminology is often used as a means to dissuade people from taking the time to understand the facts about mineral and property ownership under the rule of law. Recreational activities on public lands are only a privilege governed by regulatory policy, which is not the same thing as a right granted by statute. Privileges can be restricted and withdrawn without compensation for the loss, and most mineral collectors in the US since the 1930's haven't wanted to address this critical paradigm shift.

Instead of encouraging mining, some mineral collectors promote an imaginary divide between the professional and hobbyist, both of which are generally considered so-called "small-scale miners" under the law. This perpetuation of ignorance has been instrumental in building public apathy for the decreasing amount of public lands available for prospecting and mining activities, which has left the mineral collecting community too disjointed to effectively unify under the cause of common, core interests.

In my opinion, the main issues between competing public interests regarding conservation and preservation that existed during the 20th Century have long since been resolved, and it is obvious that the pendulum has swung well past the point of equilibrium, and the status quo is not a sustainable model for a free and prosperous society.

Tragically, the small portion of what remains of the once vast unappropriated public domain lands in the US is continuously whittled away by politicians, all the while placating to special interests and preaching to the uneducated masses about how they are protecting and preserving the land (and mineral deposits) for an untenable supposition called "future generations".

Scott

18th Oct 2011 09:33 UTCBart Cannon

Scott,

I am going to get in big trouble with my relationship counselor for this communication, but, you, as a code freak, must realize that the Mindat code of ethics carries even less legal weight than the Boy Scouts of America's code of ethics.

I have a hunch that your your great familiarity with federal codes is related to your interest in swooping in on claim holders who have made untimely filing errors or committed other defects of filing.

Vulture style claim poaching, Could that be at least partly true ? A thousand pardons if I am off base.

That would at least partly explain your passion on the subject of casual trespass. Loss of a tourmaline crumb.

I've lost much more than crumbs due to claim poaching, so I feel your pain.

Bart

18th Oct 2011 23:15 UTCScott L. Ritchie Expert

Bart,

I was working for DOI building trails for NPS in the backcountry of KCNP at the time you lost your claim to the Cryo-Genie deposit, so I think its safe to say that you are confusing me with somebody else. Allot of people have had mining claim problems like yours over the years (myself included), and eventually persevered, so I hope you can do the same one day.

Feel free to PM me on mindat for any advanced rhetoric and wordsmithing you are inclined to discuss. We miners have thick skins by trade, but most people here aren't used to our salty spittle.

Scott

19th Oct 2011 02:41 UTCDave Owen

Tracy go mcrocks/websitetoolbox.com they are a wealth of info on North Carolina collecting. Dave

19th Oct 2011 06:58 UTCAnonymous User

Dave Owen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Tracy go mcrocks/websitetoolbox.com they are a

> wealth of info on North Carolina collecting. Dave

but they won't let you mention a peep about Crabtree Emerald mine or Diamond Hill mine(SC) and probably the Reel mine(let me go check)..they delete them.

19th Oct 2011 14:45 UTCTracie Ellis

Dare I ask why Jason?

19th Oct 2011 16:32 UTCAnonymous User

I am not really sure.
I posted about the Reel Mine last night after I wrote in your post(mine above) and today it is gone.

It has nothing to do with me. One of the first post I did on there was trying to help a newbie rockhound who wanted to go hounding in NC for one of his forst times. He wanted to dig emeralds, beryl, garnet, and a few other things and not one person had mentioned the Crabtree Emerald mine(Ray was mentiond, little pine). I gave this lengthy post about the crabtree and it was deleted. It's the only true public emerald location you can collect at in NC.(Emerald hollow being salted junk) I asked why it was deleted with nary a response. Fast forward....and the topic of, not sure if it was South Carolina or Amethyst or what have you, Diamond Hill mine was mentioned, it to, was deleted. Now this is not just me..I have talked with many many people over the last 1-2 years who have had the same results with trying to post or provide rockhounding info on any of those specific locations. I don't find the site condusive to collecting or rockhounding or even helpful when they delete post like that. Not sure why they do that.

How about one or two folks on here post about the crabtree emerald mine or reel mine and see if it stays up or gets deleted

19th Oct 2011 16:54 UTCTracie Ellis

Who knows what the reason is. But thanks for the info on the localities!

19th Oct 2011 18:06 UTCClinton Rhoades

Tracie,

My advise to you is to become familiar with running reports on the BLM's website "LR2000", but the first thing I would do is download the MRDS (mineral resource data system) KML files from the USGS for specific regions that you want to visit. Once you download the MRDS you can see thousands of old mines and prospect pits on Google Earth (symbolized with an X or crossed picks) and click on them to see a little information about the site and then click on the record number to see more detail about the site including the ownership of the mine and minerals may be present. If the ownership says "Private" I would NOT visit the site. Some people are very protective of their patented mineral claims. Once you have checked the ownership status of the site you can use LR2000 to run a report based on the township, range and section that the site is located in to see if there are any active located mineral claims on the property. Remember, taking mineral specimens from active located claims on federal grounds is mineral trespass. Entering shafts or adits on federal ground is also considered trespassing to protect any animals that may be living in them. Be safe, Be smart, Be respectful.

20th Oct 2011 01:08 UTCgerard

try this and link to google earth http://tin.er.usgs.gov/mrds/select.php

20th Oct 2011 01:55 UTCTracie Ellis

Clinton, I just loaded the MRDS for my county (Cabarrus, in NC) and find both right side up picks and upside down picks, which according to the legend means the site is closed (the upside down picks).

Nothing lists as private, yet.

This is very interesting to poke through! Thank you very much for passing the info on!

20th Oct 2011 02:42 UTCJim Bean 🌟

Be advised that many locations in the MRDS database are not precisely located, but a quick spin through Google Earth through with an area you're familiar with should make that quite obvious.

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