DMC Field Trip
GMS is the founding member of the
DMC field trip program of the SFMS

DMC Field Trip
Mid-Georgia Gem and Mineral Society
Saturday, March 7, 2015

The quarry we visited for the March DMC field trip is part of the Corbin Gneiss Complex. They are mining porphoblastic granite gneiss there and crushing it into gravel sized pieces. The rocks in this quarry are some of the oldest in Georgia dating back approximately 1.2 billion years. The quartz in the granite can be a pale to deep blue color and is beautiful as specimen as well as being solid enough for lapidary use.

Once again the mining company very graciously allowed a field trip into the quarry. And it was a great day to be in the quarry, too! With Georgia's up and down winter weather, we were fortunate to have one of the up days. After a check to make sure everyone had their safety equipment followed by a safety talk, we descended into the quarry. My understanding is that there were so many participants we had to be split into two groups with one group in one part of the quarry and the other group in another part of the quarry. Quarry personnel stayed with us at all times and were very helpful directing us to good collecting areas.

An abundance of boulders to examine and chunks of beautiful rock were ripe for the picking. With so much to collect and because it was so easy, I doubt anyone went away without a prize. Charles and I collected a pile of small pieces for grab bags, a few hand sized chunks for specimen, and several chunks for cabbing. We collected mostly blue quartz pieces and blue quartz sand, but we also got a few pieces with garnets.

Many thanks to the quarry employees who made sure we were safe as well as Jay Batcha and the Mid-Georgia Gem & Mineral Society for another successful DMC trip!

Lori Carter
On behalf of Charles Carter, GMS Field Trip Chair
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