October

MEET: At the site, on US 27 in Chattooga Co. Ga. This is in the NW corner of the state of Georgia.

Directions: From I-75 exit at #306 and take GA. 140 West toward Adairsville. Turn rt. on to US 27. The Quarry will be on the left between the county owned waste dumpsters and the US Forestry office. This is approximately 3.0 miles beyond the intersection of Gore Subligna Rd. and about 2.2 miles South of Summerville. Allow about 2 hours for this approximately 90 mile trip from Atlanta.

Tools: Eye protection is a must for anyone wishing to break apart material with a rock hammer, or sledge. Chisels would be valuable, as would small ground shovels and rakes. A small cart or hand truck may be useful for hauling larger pieces of take home material. Much of the material is covered with a chalky white chert, and a pale of water is sometimes handy for dipping and identifying the better material.

Bring: plenty of fluids. This is a good site for children. Any pets MUST be on a leash at all times.

Special: THIS IS AN ACTIVE QUARRY. NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED ANYWHERE NEAR ANY OF THE MACHINERY ON THE PREMISES. ANY VIOLATION OF THIS RULE JEOPARDIZES THE FUTURE OF THIS SITE.

Weather: The field trip will be cancelled if there are any winter weather advisories (watches or warnings) issued for Chattooga Co., Ga. by the National Weather Service 12 hours in advance of the meeting time, or for the date of the trip.

An Official Field Trip of The Gem & Mineral Society of Lynchburg, Virginia Inc. (HOST)
An Official Field Trip of the GEORGIA MINERAL SOCIETY, Inc.
8:00AM until 5:00PM EDT
Saturday – October 23, 2010

KYANITE MINING CORP., DILLWYN, VA.
WILLIS MOUNTAIN KYANITE MINE
EAST RIDGE KYANITE MINE

WHERE: On US 15 between Farmville and Sprouses Corner, Buckingham County, Virginia. For GPS, enter Dillwyn, VA., and Willis Mt. Plant Rd. Choose James Madison Hwy or Rt. 15 as the location. This is for the office, not the assembly area.

WHEN: Saturday – October 23, 2010

DIRECTIONS: From the north, at the US 60 and US 15 intersection in Sprouses Corner. Drive south on US 15 for 3 miles. Turn left on Rt. 788, Gieseke Road. This is just before you get to Willis Mt. Plant Rd. Keep straight on 788 to the scale house assembly area. Do not block any mine traffic to the scales.

From the south at the US 460 and US 15 intersection just east of Farmville. Drive north on US 15 for about 18 miles. Go past Willis Mt. Plant Rd. and turn right on Rt. 788, Gieseke Road. Keep straight on 788 to the scale house area assembly area. Do not block any mine traffic to the scales.

ASSEMBLY TIME: 8:00 TO 8:45 AM EDT at the Rt. 788 Gieseke Road scale house area for sign-in. We will have a safety briefing starting at 8:45. We will then load up and convoy a short distance to the East Ridge mine about 9:00 AM.

COLLECTING: Mostly white with some blue kyanite. (Some of the white crystals fluoresce light blue under a short wave UV lamp.) Quartz, pyrite, white muscovite, green fuchsite and red iron stained muscovite, hematite or goethite coated kyanite with some having a beautiful iridescent coating. The green apatite and trolleite are there but hard to locate. There are several other minerals such as augelite, energite, topaz, lazulite, variscite and goyazite that rarely occur. Recently we have been finding some small but beautiful rutile crystals in the East Ridge mining area.

PLANNED EVENTS: Departing from the assembly area about 9AM, we will convoy several miles to the East Ridge mining area. We will depart from this location about noon and convoy back to the Willis Mountain mining area. You can drive in to all collecting areas. We will provide, for a nominal fee, a lunch of BBQ, chips and a drink. You may also bring your own lunch, especially if you are on a special diet. Bring a lawn chair and rest a spell. The view from Willis Mountain (a monadnock) is awesome and you can see for miles. We will then collect on Willis Mountain the rest of the day. You can leave at any time but we must clear the property by 5:30PM.

AGE LIMIT: Everyone is welcome but children must be 6 years or older. They will not be allowed to roam around unattended and must obey all safety requirements and have all safety equipment. All pets must be under control at all times.

EQUIPMENT: Hard Hat, safety glasses, steel toe or good strong leather boots. No sneakers or sandals will be allowed. You should wear long pants and have gloves. A rock pick or mason’s hammer, a 3 to 4 pound crack hammer, chisels and a really large sledge if you are serious about busting rocks. Buckets or bags, newspaper with which to wrap your finds and, of course, plenty of water, snacks and sun screen. Dress according to the weather this day and prepare for a rain shower.

SAFETY: Kyanite Mining Corp. is very safety conscious and has an excellent record. We will have several club members in blaze orange vests who will be on the lookout for unsafe situations and conditions. If you are in an unsafe area you will be asked to move. We will be in an active mining area with many potential hazards. Please respect the safety berms, high wall setback and marked unsafe areas. Be aware of your location at all times.