Djinjuice
starting to shine!
Member since March 2003
Posts: 47
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Post by Djinjuice on Sept 12, 2003 23:32:30 GMT -5
I would like to know who was talking about Pala, where exactly was it that you went, and what did you find there? I have been trying to locate places around me (Las Vegas) that I could visit. It is finally cooling down around here so I will begin my weekend jaunts to God knows where to find God knows what. I know there is a turquoise mine right over the California state line, so hopefully I will be trekking ;D out there soon!
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Post by docone31 on Sept 13, 2003 20:03:51 GMT -5
Las Vegas is a geological paradise! It is built on a subduction zone, and the tailings of almost every outcropping. Look to construction zones, especially grader runs. West of Reno, are deposits of Cow Silver, this is pure silver in layers above the sand. Down here, we have fossilized shark teeth, and lots of coral sand. I cut, polish, and facet stones and gems. My wife and I are hoping to move back there one of these days. If you make it to the turquoise mine, I would indeed be interested in rough. I make intarsia pendants with turquoise and opal. Go to About.com.Geology, it has an entire tutorial on Las Vegas.
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Post by Robert on Sept 13, 2003 20:53:52 GMT -5
Djinjuice It was me yacking about Pala. Let me tell you what I know about Pala having lived in the vicinity for 12 years. Pala is located in the most nothern part of San Diego county. I5 freeway is the man highway. From the I5 you would take highway 76 heading east. This will put you in the middle of Pala. Pala is mostly an indian reservation and this is where the TOURMALINE QUEEN mine is located. The mine is now closed, but when operating produced huge amounts of top grade Tourmaline, most went to china via Tiffinys. They used to have a museum/rock shop that had tours to the mine in Pala. The tours included seeing the mine and scratching through the mine tailings(take buckets and a screen). I don't know if this is available now. I lived in an area called Rainbow . This area is part of the Pala mountains so I was always looking for another TOURMALINE QUEEN. Needless to say, I never found one! I did find rose quartz, and a pocket of white quartz with black Tourmaline crystals in it. A friend had found a smoky quartz site that was quite good quality. Geologically, it's quite an interesting area. If you do go, good luck in your rock hounding. Any questions, e-mail me.
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Djinjuice
starting to shine!
Member since March 2003
Posts: 47
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Post by Djinjuice on Sept 17, 2003 2:10:43 GMT -5
OK Robert, I got some questions for ya', and you said to e-mail ya', but I don't see an e-mail address.....
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Robert
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2003
Posts: 15
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Post by Robert on Sept 17, 2003 20:49:18 GMT -5
Hey sorry..freeway15@charter.net
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mudd1973
starting to shine!
new member of Culver City Rock and Mineral Club
Member since May 2003
Posts: 33
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Post by mudd1973 on Sept 18, 2003 15:54:19 GMT -5
Hi all, Actually, there is a Tourmaline mine just east of the new Indian Casino on 76 (just east of Highway 15). It is called Oceanview Mines and almost every Sunday, the owners open it up. For a fee of $50 (less if you come as a group like my rock club did), you get to dig through the tailings from their mine, the Oceanview, and from another mine on the property, the Elizabeth R. They haul the tailings up to a wide open area where they have screening tables with screens and water set-up. You get to drive up right to the tables and park there. You can keep anything you find. They also take you down for a tour of the mine and you can take your pick and go at the walls. They have been working the mine two or three years and haven't hit much tourmaline yet but have it one pocket of aquamarine and lots of smoky quartz. The Elizabeth R has been hitting tourmaline zugs. I've gone down three times and it has been great for a beginner since there are a variety of pegmatite minerals: book mica, purple and pink lepidolite, Kunzite, Schorl (black tourmaline), feldspar, clear and smoky quartz (some small pieces of optically clear and last time several people found 6" terminated crystals), smallish pieces of pink, watermelon, green and light blue tourmaline (most with fractures or damage but some gemmy), cleavelandite, ambligonite (florescent) and more. The owners are very friendly and knowledgeable and help identify your finds. There is also a flush toilet up the hill. You need to make a reservation since the limit the size of the group. For more info, you can contact Lisa at Stephen's Custom Jewelry in Escondido, 760/489-1566.
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Sept 18, 2003 18:06:33 GMT -5
Cool mudd, I might try to check that place out the next time I go to Vegas, thanks. That would be a fun day and a nice break from gambling ;D Thanks for the info, Don
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mudd1973
starting to shine!
new member of Culver City Rock and Mineral Club
Member since May 2003
Posts: 33
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Post by mudd1973 on Sept 19, 2003 13:44:45 GMT -5
Hey, Don, It would be quite a drive to the Oceanview Mines in Pala, since they are in northern San Diego County. But with a brand new Indian Casino resort, hotel and all, I guess you could go there instead. Only problem is you'd have to drive about 50 miles after flying into San Diego. Mudd
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Sept 19, 2003 17:14:08 GMT -5
Thanks Ellen (your name is mudd:-). For some reason, I had it in my head that we were talking about Nevada? To some of us not so bright Easterners, everything is together in the desert out west. Tumble weeds and tourmaline mines. My mistake, glad I didn't call and make reservations for a tailings party and then find out how far it was. I would have felt even dumber than I do right now , Don
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WILDONE
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2003
Posts: 13
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Post by WILDONE on Sept 29, 2003 20:26:19 GMT -5
I am new to rock hunting and tumbling, I seem to be right in the middle of two of you, south of vegas and north of san diego, in Victorville. I have tons of place to find all kinds of rocks and stuff,I just dont know what it looks like when i get out there i have found a few cool looking rocks,have no idea what they are, and have tumbled one batch in a tumbler i bought for my daughter, a scholastic plastic now i am buying tumblers on e-bay lol i have 3 lortones and will be going out soon to look for more rocks, i have been to 4 corners on 395 and found soome red rocks and to palo verdes and climbed down the cliff to find some really cool stuff......I have no idea what lol i need help learning what i am finding, but if anyone wants to get together i will travel
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donwrob
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2003
Posts: 509
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Post by donwrob on Sept 30, 2003 8:46:48 GMT -5
Hi Wildone, welcome to the board! I live way back east in Ohio, but my wife and I make a few trips to Vegas from time to time. We love the desert, because it is so different from what we've known all our lives, the air is so dry and clear. Back here you are smothered in green and the air is thick with humidity and pollution for a good bit of the year. I know there is a place North of Vegas in the mountains that has a lot of pretty rock. A type of silisified shale I believe. I've seen it in all colors, from yellow to dark purple. I made arrowheads from it a few years back. It is glossy and I bet it would tumble really nice. I wish I knew an exact location to give you, but the guy I got it from was secretive about it and said it was on private property, some type of mine if I remember correctly. I bought one of the scolastic plastics too, hehe, found one on the wallmart discount rack last year for $13. Used my new grandaughter as a reason for getting it ;D. After the third run on it there were a couple of holes worn in it on 2 of the trip ridges and I had to use epoxy to get it back on line. I still run it once in a while to experiment with small loads of different material. It seems to run a little fast for polishing stages, but it works. Well, happy rock hunting and tumbling! Talk to you later, Don
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Djinjuice
starting to shine!
Member since March 2003
Posts: 47
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Post by Djinjuice on Sept 30, 2003 14:36:34 GMT -5
Hi Wildone, good to have you here . I took my first rockhounding jaunt out near the Valley of Fire, about 35 miles north of Vegas. After turning off the paved road to a BLM dirt road, I went out about 9 miles in my truck to an area that is supposed to have some lavender agate. My whole problem is that I don't know what I am looking at, and rocks just look like rocks to me . So unfortunately I only came back with a rock a little smaller that a bowling ball and put it in my back yard to admire. The drive was bumpy, a little hairy at some points, but the view was magnificent, and the desert rock formations were awesome.
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SirRoxalot
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 790
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Post by SirRoxalot on Nov 15, 2003 11:42:28 GMT -5
To anybody just starting out, I suggest you find a gem & mineral club nearby and ask for advice. The west has tons of clubs, one in California is the biggest in the nation, I'm sure there's one near you in Vegas. Being a beginner can be confusing and frustrating, but you'll learn a ton and meet some awesome people if you join a club. Also visit museums and get every book on the subject that you can, but bear in mind that there's usually a big gap between the pix in the boox and reality. There's a few years worth of reading material on the internet, use google to find what you want, but beware of the insane crystal power sites, they're run by morons with no understanding of basic mineralogy.
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Trylobyte
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2003
Posts: 101
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Post by Trylobyte on Nov 18, 2003 11:14:38 GMT -5
I lived in SoCal for many years, and one of my favorite trips was out to the Mojave Desert near Amboy to collect trilobites. It's a long way out in the desert, and only feasible in the winter when it cools off (a great New Years trip), but there are tons of nice trilobites to be had that are in the 530 million year old range. I still have many specimens, and gave away dozens more. Charles Manson had a little hideout in the vicinity, and that adds some spook to the area... Check out www.gtlsys.com/Trilobites/frame104322.html
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WILDONE
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2003
Posts: 13
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Post by WILDONE on Nov 18, 2003 15:05:47 GMT -5
awesome Trylobyte, I will definitly be going there. I dont live to far from there, I am at 4 corners the intersection of 395 and the 58 thanks for the link, I will let you know what i find when i get time to venture there
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