Sign in or 
Location: California
Page Threads
| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mudd1973 | Historic California Gem Mine For Sale (page: 1 2) | 25 | Oct 29 2009, 7:18 PM EDT by leonscabin | ||||
|
Thread started: Jul 7 2008, 8:54 PM EDT
Watch
The Fano Mine on Little Cahuilla Mountain in Anza, California (Riverside County) has been put up for sale. This is a tourmaline mine and some of the history is listed on the realty page - www.imrealty.biz
I was putting together a display case for my club's show which includes an aquamarine specimen from this mine. When I googled the name, the second entry listed the mine as being for sale. What a dream-come-true that would be to own a real mine. However, investing in 3 sons in college leaves very little spare change - so if there is anyone out there who would like to be "silent partner" - I can muster up plenty of free manpower to co-operatively work this mine on weekends. Ellen
out of
found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Keyword tags:
tourmaline mine california
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| dynamojoe66 | how far is it to cryo-genie mine | 11 | Jul 22 2009, 5:14 PM EDT by pvjjh | ||||
|
Thread started: Jun 12 2009, 7:20 PM EDT
Watch
can sombody tell me how long it would take to get to the cryo-mine from palm springs.and of the thee tormaline mines on this web site which one would would you suggest for a day
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| elexem | Cryo-Genie was FUN! | 12 | Jul 4 2009, 7:43 PM EDT by pvjjh | ||||
|
Thread started: Jun 29 2008, 12:31 AM EDT
Watch
We recently visited the Cryo-Genie mine & had a blast (pun fully intended). Dana, the mine owner, gave our family of 4 a private mine tour & then let us dig in the tailings. The tour was absolutely fascinating & Dana was such a hospitable host. We had fun digging in the tailings & there were probably only about 4 other people around digging with us. It was very cold at the end of May when we were there, but we stayed until our fingers were too numb to move. Of course, we didn't find anything gigantic, but we found several pencil-lead sized tourmaline pieces - one was even pink + green!
I can't wait to make this an annual trip! Thanks, Dana!
7
out of
7 found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Do you?
Keyword tags:
Cryo-Genie
Pala
tourmaline
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| pvjjh | Oh I want to go hunt tourmaline... (page: 1 2 3 4 5 ... last page) | 206 | Jun 18 2009, 12:51 PM EDT by robynahawk | ||||
|
Thread started: Dec 19 2007, 1:33 AM EST
Watch
Great show! Tourmaline is so beautiful and being a novice facetor it would be nice to be able to find the stones then cut them. Oh, to get out of the snow and get warm in southern CA and find tourmaline. Life couldn't get much better...Could it? lol
I have to admit, I felt sort of sorry for the camera-men who found the gold nuggets and had to give them to Kirsten. lol You would have probably had to pry that 1/3 oz nugget from my clinched hand before giving that one up.
8
out of
9 found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Do you?
Keyword tags:
tourmaline
Show Last Reply
|
||||||
| waguy | Field Trip for Obsidian Mid May. | 17 | Jun 5 2009, 11:35 PM EDT by pvjjh | ||||
|
Thread started: Mar 15 2009, 3:39 PM EDT
Watch
The NW and CA Federation of Mineralogical Societies are having a get together May 20th thru the 25th at Lassen Creek Northern CA for Obsidian. See article in the March issue newsletter of NWFMS under clubs & organizations to the left in search this site box. There is a nice map the Forest Service puts out on their site. Look up Modoc National Forest - Recreation Actives on the right hand box click on rock collecting, once there click on Obsidian Mine Map and print out.
I have collated down there for many years and know the best spots to go and how to dig them. At Lassen creek is the Electric Blue, it can be a challenge to dig that material but I will be there to show you the best way to do it. I will bring samples of rough and finished pieces of the four sites down there, plus I will be giving away some finished pieces in some type of drawing or raffle all five days of the rendezvous. Prior to meeting at Lassen Creek on Wednesday May 19th I will be at Glass Butte digging for Fire and Flame Obsidian. Anyone who wants to join me is more than welcome. I will arrive there on Saturday May 16th in the afternoon and be there for a few days. At mile post 77 on Hi-way 20 about half way between Bend & Burns take a right over a cattle guard and stay on the main road. I will be some where eighter before the cattle pond on the right or on the hill above the pond. I drive a white Mazda pick up with a lid on the back. I have a map of Glass Butte that the BLM produced for mining claims that I can send you. It show all the roads and what type of material is there. Just send me a message with your e-mail address and I will forward it to you. I am really looking forward to this trip. At the rendezvous there will be tailgate displays, map exhanges a great way to meet others and learn about other collecting areas. If you have any questions or need more information just let me know. Glen
Show Last Reply
|
||||||
| wschrimp | New Benitoite Dig site now open | 0 | May 5 2009, 9:05 PM EDT by wschrimp | ||||
|
Thread started: May 5 2009, 9:05 PM EDT
Watch
Since the Benitoite mines was forced to close a year ago due to the closure of the surrounding area, the owner of the Benitoite Mine has opened a fee Dig site at his place, "The Old Road Camp" on the edge of Coalinga, California. He is bringing material down from the mine to his place for people to screen for benitoite. Last weekend was the opening and everyone found nice pieces and everyone had a great time. The Dig is presently open every Saturday and Sunday. For more information, go to the Mine's website at http://www.calstategemmine.com .
|
||||||
| minerjohn | gold panning on woods creek. | 0 | Apr 27 2009, 8:10 PM EDT by minerjohn | ||||
|
Thread started: Apr 27 2009, 8:10 PM EDT
Watch
I am leasing a bit of land on woods creek in Jamestown,Ca for a new panning company. The are is near the harvard mine and I would like to know if anyone has every panned there and if they got anything . I pulled a little out of there and a friend dredged there years ago and got a few 1/2 oz + pieces. Is that common for that area?
|
||||||
| bluesman62 | Benitoite mining available again (well sort of) | 1 | Apr 19 2009, 12:42 AM EDT by pvjjh | ||||
|
Thread started: Apr 19 2009, 12:22 AM EDT
Watch
Hi all-just got an email from capistranomining.com saying that the owners of the old Dallas Gem Mine property in San Benito Co., CA have opened up a digging location for benitoite again. THe actual mine is inaccessible because of and EPA-mandated closure of the area due to unfounded asbestos concerns. THe owners have truced a large quantity of ore to an accessible site and offer fee digging. Information can be found at www.calstategemmine.com
For those who can't mae it there, capistrano mining (they are mentioned in the RMM pages on this site) offers benitoite ore in various quantites. I have purchased some and been very pleased,
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| dnastrick69 | Lake County Ca Diamonds | 3 | Jan 2 2009, 9:01 PM EST by neeps | ||||
|
Thread started: May 9 2008, 12:09 AM EDT
Watch
I don't know how many of you know about Lake County Diamonds but I wanted to provide a link to tell about them and perhaps get some tours going. Heres the Link and feel free to read up!
http://www.lakecounty.com/things/rock.html
Show Last Reply
|
||||||
| Preciouzjls | Any good treasure hunting place in California?? | 5 | Nov 21 2008, 2:12 PM EST by rgeditor | ||||
|
Thread started: Apr 3 2008, 11:19 PM EDT
Watch
Anybody know where i can find any valuable treasure in California??
6
out of
6 found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Do you?
Keyword tags:
tips
treasure
treasure hunting
Show Last Reply
|
||||||
| mudd1973 | Jalama Beach, CA, at the lowest tide of the year, 12-13-08 | 3 | Nov 13 2008, 1:59 PM EST by TallTomSr | ||||
|
Thread started: Nov 11 2008, 2:17 PM EST
Watch
For any California WIKI members, the Culver City Rock & Mineral Club is hosting a field trip to Jalama Beach on Saturday, December 13, 2008. Thanks to the Spring Proxigean
Tides, there will be the highest high tide of the year (6.8 ft) at 9:14 AM followed by the lowest low tide (-1.8 ft) just before sunset at 4:44 PM (http://www.saltwatertides.com). Therefore, the chance of finding good beach rocks should be above average. Materials to be found: fossils (fish, sea weed, whale bone), Catalina Marble (sandstone/marble banded with calcite), travertine onyx (rootbeer float colored), bluish-white agate, marcasite agate, jade, thundereggs, arrowheads, quartz points (best online article - "High on Jalama" http://www.omsinc.org/archives/Ore-cutts_Dec02.pdf). Since good materials lie both south of and north of the creek, I plan to go Friday morning and camp until Sunday - heading north Friday afternoon for the travertine onyx and then south on Saturday for the other materials. There is also good drift wood & possible whale sitings. Directions: Head north on 101 past Santa Barbara & Gaviota. When 101 heads north inland, take the State Highway 1 turn off towards Lompoc & Vandenberg. In 13.5 miles, turn left on the Jalama Beach County Park turn off. Follow the winding road through a beautiful ranch until the ocean. Camping: There are 98 campsites at the Jalama Beach County Park (prices & info at http://www.sbparks.org/Docs/Jalama.html). Additional info can be found at the Jalama Beach Store & restaurant site (www.jalamabeach.com). Tools: Collecting bags/buckets, daypack, sunscreen, baby oil & paper towels (to clean off oil from natural seeps on beach), usual rock tools (pick, pry bar. shovel), layered clothing (extras if get wet), food (water, lunch & snacks - but save room for the famous Jalama Burgers) and camping gear if you plan to join me for mutilple days.
out of
found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Keyword tags:
agate fossils beach California
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| rokhwnd | Benitoite Mine (page: 1 2) | 23 | Jul 7 2008, 8:55 PM EDT by washingtoncougar | ||||
|
Thread started: May 16 2008, 1:07 PM EDT
Watch
Latest update is that all access to the mine has been closed, even to the mines owner. See Yahoo groups LA-Rocks for further details.
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| mudd1973 | BLM Closes Clear Creek Management Area/ Benitoite Mine still open | 2 | May 25 2008, 6:28 PM EDT by mudd1973 | ||||
|
Thread started: May 2 2008, 1:02 PM EDT
Watch
The BLM has closed the Clear Creek Managment Area in California due to the potential asbestos exposure hazard. There was a short story today in the LA Times. The story was posted yesterday on the Yahoo rock hound group, LA-ROCKS. On LA-ROCKS, the thread is continuing today, with a post that the benitoite mine will still be open, but you will need to have a pass to cross the BLM land. The benitoite mine owners will email you the pass when you contact them for the reservations and map. There is a potential fine of $1000 for unathorized activities on the CCMA property, since it is totally closed to the public now.
Also posted on LA-ROCKS, was this info on how to let the government hear that we do not like this action: You can comment on the future of Clear Creek by writing or emailing the Blm at the addresses below. There is a wealth of information and maps on the Hollister field office's website at www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/hollister.html To email your comments on Clear Creek write to cahormp@ca.blm.gov To write a letter (often letters are paid more attention to): Sky Murphy Bureau of Land Management Hollister Field Office 20 Hamilton Court Hollister, California 95023 If we do not make a concerted effort to log our concerns, this area may be closed permanently. The stories seem to say that exposures 4 to 6 times a year to the dust raised while driving on roads may exceed safe governmental asbestos levels, especially for children. Don't you love the government protecting all of us adult rock hounds who might choose to go rock hounding in the area once in our lifetime by permanently closing the entire area to everyone, forever. I suspect I face more danger every single day at home from the jet exhaust from LAX and the auto and diesel exhaust from the LA freeways. Not to mention the traffic on the freeways and the gangs. Maybe the BLM should close Los Angeles to the public. Ellen
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| u_rodriguez21 | gold in california | 1 | Apr 18 2008, 4:06 PM EDT by ladygrey21 | ||||
|
Thread started: Apr 8 2008, 4:48 PM EDT
Watch
I want to take a trip with some friends to go gold panning for my birthday we've never done it before and wanted to know where would be the best place to start. we've never dont this before we live in the central valley in california so there is nothing like gold pannig for us here. Any suggestion for a good place to start for first timers? should we try one of those companies near sonora to help us start?
1
out of
1 found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Do you?
Keyword tags:
treasure hunting
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| bmarv520 | so cal | 2 | Feb 26 2008, 9:36 PM EST by mudd1973 | ||||
|
Thread started: Jan 4 2008, 10:06 PM EST
Watch
does anyone know of any good places to hunt for some good treasure in so cal???
0
out of
1 found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Do you?
Keyword tags:
so cal
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| mudd1973 | Hauser Geode Bed Success Story | 3 | Feb 26 2008, 12:23 PM EST by pvjjh | ||||
|
Thread started: Feb 25 2008, 7:25 PM EST
Watch
This weekend, my daughter and I joined about 20 other friends from all over southern California (and one couple from Calgary, Alberta, Canada) at the Hauser Geode Beds just southwest of Blythe, California. The weather was perfect for being out in the desert - in the high 60's with a light breeze. There had been just enough rain in the last few weeks to make the dirt/ash easier to dig but the roads were still all in perfect shape. The desert flowers are just beginning to bloom, also.
We only went on Saturday when the group went looking for geodes. There are numerous different documented locations to hunt - the Potatoe Patch, the Cinnamon Bed and other colorful names for specific areas spreading over the volcanic hills. Our group parked in the northern section of the Hauser beds. Most of us ended up filling several buckets just from old holes several hundred yards further along the road from where we all parked. I've cut open a few so far and half had nice small center spaces lined with medium quartz crystals and the other half had solid quartz centers of random star shapes. The inside rock is a mottled orange and red jasper and many of the geodes have a lime green, copper stain on the outsides. From the broken pieces that were in the pits, I'm expecting to find a few that have white chalcedony drusy in the cavity also. The rest of the group also went to different areas on both Friday and Sunday for black agate, fire agate, common opal and fossils. There were red and orange jaspers everywhere. Every Thanksgiving weekend, the California Federation of Mineralogical Socities leads a larger group on this same trip, with a large potluck thanksgiving dinner. If anyone ever is interested in this trip, it will be listed on the Yahoo group - LA-ROCKS. Geodes rock - Ellen Moe, Culver City
3
out of
3 found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Do you?
Keyword tags:
geodes California field trip
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| gbartucci | Searching for Tanzanite ! ! ! In CA ? ? | 4 | Feb 19 2008, 1:19 PM EST by bdavis1100 | ||||
|
Thread started: Jan 21 2008, 5:20 PM EST
Watch
We had seen one of the shows about a month or so ago and it was when they went searching for Tanzanite. I believe that it was in CA about an hour or so from Laguna Beach but not to sure. If anyone remembers the show or any info that would be great cause we would like to plan a vaction to where the treasure hunting was.
Show Last Reply
|
|||||||
| robynahawk | Fossicking in Dec. - Only in SoCal! | 0 | Jan 4 2008, 2:36 PM EST by robynahawk | ||||
|
Thread started: Jan 4 2008, 2:36 PM EST
Watch
The sky was cloudy and threatening all the way out of the Los Angeles Basin but as we hit I-5N heading for the Bakersfield area the clouds got whiter and blue sky shown thru!!!
We met Shep & the group and following a talk on Shep's great displays of teeth, whale vertabrae and a cast of the sea lion brain he has found on previous trips, we caravaned up the road to Ant Hill. The 3/4 of a mile - up hill hike to the site almost did me in, but once you are up there it's all sit down work! We found a hole we liked on the front side and the rest of the group went around to the other side. After explaining the difference in digging fossils and rock to my construction worker boyfriend - we went to work. Bobby knocked down the overhang (in some of the trenches you can almost crawl under the overhang it's so deep) and shoveled it over to my waiting screen. Bobby went to work on the wall - it was a perfect bit of teamwork - when he got cramped working the wall he shoveled loads to me. We found an assortment of hooked Mako, Straight Shark and whale (?) teeth. Lots of bone from rib bone sections to large chunks that we decided to break up at home....about 3pm our side of the hill was in the shade and we were ready to go! We packed up everthing, vacated our trench and took a walk to say GoodBye! The wisdom of digging on the other side became apparent when we saw how sunny the otherside of the hill still was. There was a "concretion mission" going on and one woman found a complete whale vertebrae. A good portion of the group (especially the kids) were exploring agate and rock down the wash and along the old creek bed. We walked to the end of the trench on the sunny side and Bobby picked up the largest Shark Tooth of our collection laying in the loose dirt in the bottom of a trench! Well - just over 2 dozen teeth and half a coffee can of bone was enough for us so we said our Goodbyes and headed down the hill.
4
out of
4 found this valuable.
Do you find this valuable?
Do you?
Keyword tags:
Ant Hill
Bakersfield
California
shark teeth
whale bone
|
||||||
