Location: Michigan

Discussion: Michiganders?Reported This is a featured thread

Category: Discussion Forum / 3--Networking, clubs and field trips
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havermap
Michiganders?
May 10 2008, 10:44 PM EDT | Post edited: May 10 2008, 10:44 PM EDT
Does everyone on this forum live in Washington? :) No offense, it sounds like you have a lot of fun. It seems all the threads point to the the Southeast or West though. I could use a "rock pickin' partner" here in West Michigan.














 Do you find this valuable?    
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aubreyreynolds9@gmai
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
1. RE: Michiganders?
May 10 2008, 11:22 PM EDT | Post edited: May 10 2008, 11:22 PM EDT
Michigan is a great place to hunt. Lot's of great treasures. Are you a part of a gem and mineral club? 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    

havermap
2. RE: Michiganders?
May 11 2008, 9:58 PM EDT | Post edited: May 11 2008, 9:58 PM EDT
I plan on joining the local rock and mineral club; however, they meet the fourth Monday of the month. Looks like Memorial day - I doubt they will meet that day. I'll have to wait until the June meeting.
I am going to Indiana to hunt geodes during the Memorial weekend. Something different than what I usually pick up (MI beach stones). I do have a lot of fun picking them, but my friends are not into it.
 Do you find this valuable?    
washatonian
washatonian
3. RE: Michiganders?
May 12 2008, 12:47 PM EDT | Post edited: May 12 2008, 12:47 PM EDT
"I plan on joining the local rock and mineral club; however, they meet the fourth Monday of the month. Looks like Memorial day - I doubt they will meet that day. I'll have to wait until the June meeting.
I am going to Indiana to hunt geodes during the Memorial weekend. Something different than what I usually pick up (MI beach stones). I do have a lot of fun picking them, but my friends are not into it.
"
Glad to hear you are going to join a club. It is certainly in your best interest to do so as it will allow you to network with other local and area rockhounds,hook up for area field trips,expand your rock knowledge etc....
I extend an invitation 2 U to come to Washington.......to collect petrified wood,fossils,agates.......However if you ventured our way out West you may not want to return to Michigan.
Andy Do you find this valuable?    
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
4. RE: Michiganders?
May 12 2008, 4:53 PM EDT | Post edited: May 12 2008, 4:53 PM EDT
"I plan on joining the local rock and mineral club; however, they meet the fourth Monday of the month. Looks like Memorial day - I doubt they will meet that day. I'll have to wait until the June meeting.
I am going to Indiana to hunt geodes during the Memorial weekend. Something different than what I usually pick up (MI beach stones). I do have a lot of fun picking them, but my friends are not into it.
"
The Indiana National Directory has some listing for Geodes and fossils. If your have any problems (which you should not) finding good geodes, I usually stop and ask the locals. The older folks are usually more in the know. I have some nice geodes from Indiana. They are plentiful.
Have a good time Do you find this valuable?    
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
5. RE: Michiganders?
May 12 2008, 5:10 PM EDT | Post edited: May 12 2008, 5:10 PM EDT
"I plan on joining the local rock and mineral club; however, they meet the fourth Monday of the month. Looks like Memorial day - I doubt they will meet that day. I'll have to wait until the June meeting.
I am going to Indiana to hunt geodes during the Memorial weekend. Something different than what I usually pick up (MI beach stones). I do have a lot of fun picking them, but my friends are not into it.
"
Have you been to the Michigan Copper Mines that was featured on Cash and Treasures. It is beautiful stuff. Also what about Petoskey stone, have you found a good site. (Great jewelry making material.) If you have a good supply we could do some swapping.
Bill Do you find this valuable?    

havermap
6. RE: Michiganders?
May 13 2008, 8:21 PM EDT | Post edited: May 13 2008, 8:21 PM EDT
Bill,
What size of Petoskey's are you looking for? I know a few good hunting sites. They are about 3 hour drive north of me. When school gets out, I'll go there. Usually, I don't find real large ones anymore; I think stone hunting is become too popular. Any other kinds of stones from the lower peninsula you interested in?
Although I don't know what many of them are - there are lots of beautiful beach stones. One that is found is very similar to Petoskey - Favosite fossils (like a miniture Petoskey). Maybe you'd like some of those? I don't keep a supply of them I only have a few dozen here - mostly, I give them away. This year I want to find some Leland Blue and Frankfort green stones (not really stones - slag byproduct from the 1800's).

When my son was young we spent two summers living near Ontonagon, MI. We went to many copper dumps (and other dumps). We have one nice piece of float copper and some that is included in another rock. I wish we would have had a metal detector when I was there. I also know where a silver mine is in that neighborhood. An old-timer told me about it when I stayed up there. It is very hard to get to though.
Pam 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
7. RE: Michiganders?
May 13 2008, 10:31 PM EDT | Post edited: May 13 2008, 10:31 PM EDT
I polish Petoskey stone into 30 by 40 mm cabs. I would need a slab at least 3" by 2" to make a cab. I have posted pictures of jewelry I have cut and polished. One Michigan gemstone that is beautiful is the hematite jasper from Jasper Knob in Ishpeming Michigan. It is called the largest gemstone in the world, literally a hill about 25 million tons of banded, swirling red jasper. Jasper is a cryto -crystaline quartz.(the crystals are to small to see except with a microscope)
Bill Do you find this valuable?    

havermap
8. RE: Michiganders?
May 13 2008, 10:45 PM EDT | Post edited: May 13 2008, 10:45 PM EDT
Bill,
I haven't any plans to go to the UP this summer. The Jasper sounds cool though. I'll have to look it up. I will go and see what I can get as far as Petoskeys for you. It will be harder to find 2 x 3 but I'll see what I can do. Anyway, it's a good day at the beach.

By the way, nice pics you posted. Sounds like you took the butterfly route home. 1  out of 1 found this valuable. Do you?    
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
9. RE: Michiganders?
May 13 2008, 10:50 PM EDT | Post edited: May 13 2008, 10:50 PM EDT
Michigan has some great locations prospect. Do you have any Chlorastrolite the green mineral that is the state gemstone.Also those Datolites are out of this world beautiful.
Bill
 Do you find this valuable?    
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
10. RE: Michiganders?
May 14 2008, 8:09 AM EDT | Post edited: May 14 2008, 8:09 AM EDT
"Bill,
I haven't any plans to go to the UP this summer. The Jasper sounds cool though. I'll have to look it up. I will go and see what I can get as far as Petoskeys for you. It will be harder to find 2 x 3 but I'll see what I can do. Anyway, it's a good day at the beach.

By the way, nice pics you posted. Sounds like you took the butterfly route home."
I also could tumble polish smaller pieces and make free form jewelry. If you have a number of smaller pieces we could swap materials or do a trade out on finished pieces.

Bill Do you find this valuable?    

havermap
11. RE: Michiganders?
May 14 2008, 9:55 PM EDT | Post edited: May 14 2008, 9:55 PM EDT
Bill,
I have looked for Chlorastrolite before but have never found one. One year I brought home every green stone I could fit in my car - not a one in the bunch!
I looked up Datolite, it's beautiful. Does the outer skin resemble the skin of a geode? That's how the pics appear to me. I'd have to figure out how to spot them. If I decide to go to the UP this summer, I'll make sure I pick your brain before I go. I'm not very knowledgeable about minerals; but I'm trying to learn. Do you ever go to the Upper Peninsula? I love the wildness; but couldn't live there in the winter.
Smaller Petoskeys - won't be a problem. I'll be there in mid June.
 Do you find this valuable?    
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
aubreyreynolds9@gmai
12. RE: Michiganders?
May 15 2008, 9:30 PM EDT | Post edited: May 15 2008, 9:30 PM EDT
"Bill,
I have looked for Chlorastrolite before but have never found one. One year I brought home every green stone I could fit in my car - not a one in the bunch!
I looked up Datolite, it's beautiful. Does the outer skin resemble the skin of a geode? That's how the pics appear to me. I'd have to figure out how to spot them. If I decide to go to the UP this summer, I'll make sure I pick your brain before I go. I'm not very knowledgeable about minerals; but I'm trying to learn. Do you ever go to the Upper Peninsula? I love the wildness; but couldn't live there in the winter.
Smaller Petoskeys - won't be a problem. I'll be there in mid June.
"
I would love to go to the UP. I have friends in Michigan that have a standing invitation for us to come. In addition I have relatives that came fom around Adrain. Yes, if I can work it out I might make a trip up that way. The is an agate conference in Wisconsin I would like to make and it might work out. The datolites are crusted.

Bill Do you find this valuable?    

havermap
13. RE: Michiganders?
May 21 2008, 10:51 PM EDT | Post edited: May 21 2008, 10:51 PM EDT
Hi all,
I just posted a pic of some petoskey stones. The one in the center I found last weekend on a camping trip. I know my pics aren't the greatest, but the center stone looks as if the fossils are peeling off, or did in the past. I thought Petoskeys went all the way through the stone. Any ideas out there? Oh, the other petoskeys have lived with me awhile. Do you find this valuable?    
washatonian
washatonian
14. RE: Petoskey picks
May 22 2008, 8:58 AM EDT | Post edited: May 22 2008, 8:58 AM EDT
Pam
Those are neat pics.Whats the story behind petoskey stones?I would be open to a trade if your inclined.
Andy Do you find this valuable?    

havermap
15. RE: Petoskey picks
May 22 2008, 8:41 PM EDT | Post edited: May 22 2008, 8:41 PM EDT
Petoskey's are fossilized coral. Ya, we use to be warmer; a few million years ago! They are fairly common on Lake MI beaches about 3 hours North of me. I believe they are limestone and the eyes of the petoskey are either calcite or quartz. They are just a soft gray (like a million other beach stones), but if they are wet it's much easier to see the eyes (so we can pluck them up). That's why I lick rocks; you can tell if it's Petoskey or not. :)

There are also green-colored stone that look just like these; ironically called greenstone. I have never found a one. They are much smaller (and apparently more elusive) only found in the Keenenaw Pennsula or Isle Royle National Park. 2  out of 2 found this valuable. Do you?