C K WIlliams Quarry Field Trip

Reflecting back on my year of rockhounding in 2017, the winter season is a difficult time for active rockhounds. We all want to be out discovering new rocks somewhere. I can remember sitting around in anticipation of a warmer stretch of March weather to allow me do my first 2017 field trip. This was at a relatively local abandoned quarry known by the rockhound community as C K Williams in Easton PA.

The quarry dates back to the 1800's when it was first put into operation and throughout the years the property changed hands numerous times until it was bought and deeded to Lafayette College by professor Arthur Montgomery in perpetuity as the unique mineralogical site it is.  Serpentine, tremolite, mica, quartz, talc, to name a few more prevalent minerals present. The quarry sourced ornamental serpentine used in buildings in the Easton area as well as using tremolite as an ingredient in building materials. The quarry operations ceased in the 1940's.

The quarry wall with a mixture of Serpentine, Tremolite and Quartz

This being my first field trip of the year, I was quite excited about the newness of the adventure and finding all these wonderful GREEN rocks.

Serpentine, Tremolite and Phlogopite

Eastonite with some Tremolite

Other minerals exist in the quarry such as Albite (Plagioclase Feldspar), Quartz, Talc and a whole host of others.

The area along the river was actually my first stop as the entire river bank is strewn with potential pickings.

Serpentine Phlogopite mix in rock

ROCKHOUNDING is a challenging and rewarding pursuit that requires knowledge of geology/mineralogy as well as an astute responsibility for personal safety. Field collecting is challenging, hazardous and downright dangerous in some instances. Some minerals present hazards during removal and are hazards themselves if handled improperly. Reptiles and other wild animals can intrude at any time so be aware of your surroundings at all times. Weather conditions can change and put you in a precarious spot so monitor the weather while out and about on your journey. Safety glasses are of utmost importance when chipping away at rock. If you think regular glasses are adequate, you are sadly mistaken. Consider a full face shield if you like your face. Rock shards turn into piercing projectiles that can slice through a rubber glove and slice open your knuckle without any warning. Protect your assets ! Visits to quarries/mining areas require hard hats, safety glasses and steel toed boots as a bare minimum as well as an understanding to avoid unstable rock formations that may come tumbling down at the slightest tug or echo of sound. A good pair of gloves is essential to avoid minor scrapes and lacerations as rock edges are razor sharp in some instances. The thick rubber 'mining" gloves I used all year were quite good to absorb the shock of sledging rocks while field collecting but did not protect me from one rogue rock shard at close range. My recommendation would be gloves that have thick rubber for shock absorption as well as some sort protective kevlar layer to protect from piercing rock shards. Appropriate dust masks are important to avoid dust created during soil upheaval or during mineral extraction. You must not take anything for granted including the status of a property where you want to collect. You must research the ownership of all properties targeted for field collecting and respect permissions granted or not. I assume no responsibility for any action taken after reading this field trip report. You are fully responsible for your lack of preparedness. Overall, prepare well, be astutely aware of your surroundings and be reasonable to yourself and others around you.

A return to rockhounding at Sterling Hill Mine - Ogdensburg, New Jersey

Sterling Hill Mine - Passaic Pit - Fluorescent Wall display during the 2016 Super Dig. This display is not vividly bright to the naked eye when you are standing in front of it but my camera did capture the vivid colors of the different mineral deposits seen.

Growing up in New Jersey around my uncle Woodrow and Aunt Liz (avid mineral collectors) was my introduction to fluorescent mineral collecting. I remember visits with them to various these outdoor rock piles and thinking to myself, wow, these rocks glow all these beautiful colors. My earlier recollection was a visit to the infamous "Buckwheat dump" in Franklin, NJ.

It was only within the past 3 years that my sister and I started to revisit this long lost interest again. We have visited the Sterling Hill mine on numerous collector member days along with my niece and nephews in tow to once again find those elusive glowing minerals. For me, my last visit to the Sterling Hill Mine Passaic Pit sparked my curiosity about spending more quality time hacking away at a hillside for some cool mineral finds. I have slowly been cleaning my last batch of mineral specimens and admittedly I am getting a big bug to really start visiting other mines for some further more exotic collection adventures. It is quite rewarding when you start cleaning up your rockhounding finds and discover that the dull looking dirty rock with some odd markings becomes this beautiful rock full of various minerals and crystalline structures on it. Using the mineralogy classifications for identifying minerals while carefully sifting through a really ugly pile of rocks(tailings) is an acquired skill which takes time. I have recently spent time reading and familiarizing myself with some of my more favorite minerals. One current favorite which I would not mind finding a bucket full of specimens of is RHODINITE. A pink crystalline mineral found from the Franklin Mine in New Jersey operated by the New Jersey Zinc Company from 1897 to 1954.

RHODINITE(Non-Fluorescent) with Calcite(Orange) and Willemite(Green) shown under shortwave ultraviolet light

RHODINITE shown under daylight

At the Super Digg there were a collection of minerals in a "premium" caged in area that I roamed through. I plucked out some nice bright "Cookie Dough" pieces of Willemite/Calcite. The black non-fluorescent mineral is called Franklinite which was named in 1819 by Pierre Berthier for the type locality(location where a mineral is characterized) of Franklin Furnace, the original settlement name until it became Franklin Borough in 1913.

Calcite/Willemite/Franklinite shown under shortwave ultraviolet light

Calcite/Willemite/Franklinite shown in day light

In 1968, the New Jersey State Legislature declared Franklin New Jersey "The Fluorescent mineral capital of the world". The Sterling Hill mine located in Ogdensburg(south of Franklin) also produced zinc but ceased operation in 1986. Both mines are located in a VERY unique area of the New Jersey Highlands geology and have documented many mineral discoveries since the 1800's.

Here are some links to entities that are still in operation in this really cool area. If one is interested in collecting cool rocks, check these out ! You can visit these two museums and arrange to collect from the tailings removed during the mining operations.

 Franklin Mineral Museum

Sterling Hill Mine Museum