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FIELD TRIP FOR April  |
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An Official Field Trip of The
Cotton Indian Gem and Mineral Society (HOST)
Girard, Burke County, GA
10:00 AM
"Savannah River
Agate"
WHERE: The River road outside of Girard,
GA.
WHEN:
TIME: 10:00 A.M. at the Girard city Post Office on
Hwy. 23
Children: Children are
welcome but need to be supervised as we will be hunting on a dirt
road. Pets: Same as above. Trip: Beautiful Savannah River Agate has been collected at this location for years. I have been told that there is as much material here today as there ever was. Collecting: We will be collecting Savannah River Agate, fossils and micro minerals. This material is actually a conglomeration of agate, jasper, chert, and opalite all mixed together to form a layered specimen that will tumble or cab into beautiful display pieces. This rock occurs as black and brown mottled agate and in a large range of pastel colors from greens to yellows to violets. The fossils you may find are from 30-35 million years old Oligocene age deposits. The micro minerals are located in vugs of the agate/chert rock. Special Conditions: We will be hunting in the roadway and road cuts only. Do Not leave the road cuts. Please stay off of private property. Bring: You will need to bring a rock hammer and scratching tool to collect the agate. You can dig if you want but make sure you fill in your holes after your finished. If you plan to look for microminerals by busting the larger agate/chert specimens, you will also need some chisels and a sledge. More importantly you NEED eye protection (face shield would be best) and long heavy pants as this agate can act like shrapnel when cracked with a rock hammer or sledge! As always, bring your lunch, plenty of fluids, some bug spray, sun screen, a hat, gloves, sturdy shoes and lots of 5 gal. Buckets (Trust me - you will need them!). Where to meet: We will meet at the Girard city Post Office on Hwy. 23. Directions: From I-20 take Hwy. 520 (west of Augusta) south to Hwy. 56 and travel south. Go through McBean (do not take Hwy. 56 Spur). Turn left on Hwy. 23 to Girard and meet at the Post Office at 10 AM. Drive time: From Atlanta 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Standard Mineral Company
Glendon, North Carolina
Saturday, April 22, 2006 8:00 AM till Noon The SOUTHEAST FEDERATION has again been invited to participate in one of the best and most interesting field trip opportunities in the Southeast. If you have not collected here in the past, you should not miss an opportunity to go to this quarry for quality specimen/cabinet grade pyrite. The Glendon pyrophylite mine is an open pit quarry that has produced many perfect pyrite crystals up to 4 inches on a side and 6 inches long!! Generally, you can find a cube approaching 2 inches or so and a bunch of others in all shapes and sizes up to one inch or more. The pyrite cubes are located loose on the surface or in seams down a foot or less in the bottom of the quarry floor. If it hasn't rained for some time, the light gray pyrophylite soil seems to coat everything with a gray goop that makes it difficult to identify the pyrite crystals on the surface. Using a VERY GOOD metal detector makes the hunt almost a "no brainer"! A basic metal detector may offer some help in finding those cubes containing the most iron but just digging anywhere in the quarry floor will probably yield much quicker results. You may also find small greenish blue fluorite crystals in crevices on some of the larger boulders strewn about the middle of the quarry floor. Collecting: pyrite cubes, pyrite cubes in matrix, green fluorite, and micro-minerals. DIRECTIONS: Take 1-85 North to Charlotte,
North Carolina. On I-85 North of Charlotte, either exit the interstate at
Lexington on to US 64 and travel through Asheboro to SR 42. Turn right and
follow SR 42 past Coleridge and Bennett and SSR 902. Then SR 42 makes a left
towards Carbonton and Sanford. Before Carbonton there is a flashing yellow
light @ SSR 1006. Turn right onto SSR 1006/ Glendon-Carthage road and go south
to the mine which will be on your left. If you spend the night at Sanford you
will be traveling West on SR 42 and have to make a left on SSR 1006. Sanford,
which is 12 miles to the East of Glendon, is probably the best bet for finding a
good motel room and nearby restaurants.
Graves Mountain "Rock Swap and Dig" for
2006
8 am to 6 pm, Friday, April 28, 2006 8 am to 6 pm, Saturday, April 29, 2006 8 am to 6 pm, Sunday, April 30, 2006 -------------------------------------------------------
8 am to 6 pm,
Friday, October 6, 2006
8 am to 6 pm, Saturday, October 7, 2006 8 am to 6 pm, Sunday, October 8, 2006 "Your society is invited to field collect minerals at Georgia's
premiere mineral location!"
The SFMS Field Trip Committee has been in contact
with the caretaker in charge of Graves Mountain, Clarence Norman Jr., in regard
to his plans to hold two separate three day digs and rock swaps on the
Mountain during April 28, 29, & 30, 2006 and during October 6, 7, & 8,
2006. He will have the mountain open to collecting from 8 am to 6 pm each day.
All participants must stop at the welcome table in the Hospitality tent to sign
a liability release and make a small contribution to defray the cost of opening
the mountain and providing port-o-lets. There will be several golf cart type,
four wheeled vehicles available to transport those participants who have trouble
walking long distances. The dig will cease and everyone is expected to be off
the mountain by around 6 pm each day. Participants will be allowed to park in a
designated area on the mountain.
Rock Swap and Hot
Food/Drinks:
Junior will set aside an area in the upper parking lot for tables to be setup for daily rock swaps. Anyone who would like to setup a table(s), please contact Junior at the phone numbers listed below. Hot food cooked on the grill, cold drinks and chips will be available for purchase on the mountain during all three days of these events. Don't forget to bring some extra money to buy the special "Graves Mountain Rock Swap and Dig" T-shirt! THESE DIGS ARE OPEN TO ALL SFMS CLUBS.
Mark your calendar and tell all your members about these great events! Contact Information:
Clarence Norman Jr. - 706.359.3862 (his business) or 706.359.2381 (his home) Please follow this link for a map to
Graves Mountain: (CLICK
HERE)
DIRECTIONS: From Atlanta's I-285, take I-20 east to the exit for Washington, GA SR 78 (SR 10, SR 17) and turn left. Travel north to Washington, turn right onto SR 378 and drive 11 miles to the Graves Mountain area. The entrance to Graves Mountain is on your right about 8/10 mile past the Lincoln county line sign. The entrance is a paved road that goes through a gate and up the hill to the parking area(s). Proceeded from your parked vehicle to the Registration/Hospitality tent to sign your liability release form and to make a donation for the portable bathrooms, etc. SFMS Field Trip Committee:
Please reply by e-mail to: dmc@gamineral.org Jim Flora - SFMS Field Trip Committee Chair Graves Mountain code of conduct! Park your vehicle in the designated area(s)
only.
Please protect our ability to field collect at Graves
Mountain!
Report Violations to: Clarence Norman Jr. 706.359.3862 (his business) or 706.359.2381 (his home) All reported violations will be held in strict confidence. |