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The Georgia Mineral Society, Inc. 4138 Steve Reynolds Boulevard Norcross, GA 30093-3059 |
GMS Field Trip December 2020
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Various Rocks and Minerals in Georgia
Saturday, December 5, 2020
On a beautiful Saturday morning, 48 of us embarked on an adventure at one of, if not the premier collecting sites in the Southeast.
People started to arrive shortly after 9:00 am and congregated at the gate until the official start at 10:00am. This time was used for sign in and socializing. The gates opened promptly at 10:00 and the trips co-leaders Jason Leatherwood and Juergen Poppelreuter led the group to the parking lot.
After the usual safety talk and donning of safety vests an attempt at a group photo was made. It proved to be quite challenging to get 48 people that are social distancing in to a picture.
About half the attendees were either first time collectors or first timers at this location. Veterans Jason Leatherwood and his boys gave suggestions on where to dig to find the various minerals available there. As always, one of the first timers found one of the nicest specimens of the day.
We couldn’t have asked for nicer weather, after a chilly start it warmed up beautifully and not a cloud in the sky. After a couple of hours, a couple of people had to leave, due to prior commitments, but the majority held on to the end. We ended the collecting at 4:00pm. Everybody seemed to have had a great time and went home with lots of material.
On a personal note, this was my second time, leading a field trip and I want to thank my co-leader Jason Leatherwood and ALL the attending rock hounds for making this a most enjoyable experience for me, no no-shows, no rule breakers, just a lot of FUN.
Thank you, stay safe and rock on.
Juergen Poppelreuter, Trip Lead
On behalf of Charles Carter, GMS Field Trip Chair
e-mail:
Photo by Diana Poppelreuter
Started in the dark, very chilly and damp from Friday's rain.
Since we were part of the setup team, it means get there at least an hour early.
Photo by Diana Poppelreuter
Ample parking on the usual lower level, with upper level parking reserved for management's guests and our leaders.
Photo by Diana Poppelreuter
To keep our social distancing, the group photo had to be taken from the next field. Everyone was excited and dutifully listened to a review of the safety rules and procedures. Covid rules of spacing and masks worn while near others, and the quarry safety rules of STAY AWAY from the cliffs and high walls. There were plenty of signs all over of the rules, and marking the dangerous areas.
Photos by Diana Poppelreuter
By the time I reached the 'road' over the Main Pit, layers of jackets were removed as the day was warming.
It is not an exaggeration that it is a mile uphill BOTH WAYS from parking to the bottom.
Photo by Diana Poppelreuter
Hard rain the day before washed everything clean and exposed some interesting items before I even got off the ridge.
Photo by Diana Poppelreuter
There are some terrifyingly spectacular drop offs. (I wasn't this close, its cropped.)
Photo by Diana Poppelreuter
My first find was a spectacular boulder that was way too big to haul off,
and much too solid (so much quartz matrix) for my shoulder to whack.
Photos by Diana Poppelreuter
Close-up to show the banded white to snowy whit to nearly clear smokey quartz matrix.
Light blue kyanite and lots of pyrite was abundant.
Photos by Diana Poppelreuter
The spoils - debris piles well out from the no-go zone at the high walls had plentiful material.
Rutile, kyanite, quartz, pyrophylite, and pyrite were found.
Photo by Diana Poppelreuter
Other GMS rockhounds searching the rain washed piles for rutile.
Photo by Diana Poppelreuter
After a rest and lunch, I climbed back up to the branch of the lower trails. Looking down the trail leading to below the dam, were some blessed rockhounds.
Photos by Diana Poppelreuter
Facing the dam and acidic stream below it, on the right is a towering steep mound of loose boulders. At the base was a large boulder of tough grey quartz matrix with a large vein of lazulite, kyanite, and pyrite. A very energetic someone hammered out a lot of material, and tossed the kyanite/ pyrite aside as waste. I was happy to collect it.
Photos by Joe Staven
Joe Staven found this spectacular rutile crystal, and this was his first trip to this site!
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