Utah Rock Collecting Article, Guest Author

Collecting in Utah, 2008

On May 10th , Steve Smith and I left Arkansas, just ahead of a tornado, for Utah for a few days of rockhounding. After visiting the interactive dinosaur museum in Fruita, Colorado, we headed for Marysvale, Piute County in east Utah, just south of rte.70 to our first collecting site. A small pasture on BLM land, 2.8 miles north of Marysvale is strewn with boulders of banded grey-white rhyolite containing vugs of small amethyst crystals associated with micro rutile crystal sprays and complex crystal forms of bixbyite. Alas, the weather turned nasty with sleet, snow, rain, and wind, making for miserable and not-so-productive collecting.
Onward to our reservations at Best Western in Delta, Utah, where the weather improved. We stopped in at the West Desert Rock Art rock shop and were told that blasting was done a month earlier at the White Knoll spot in the Topaz mountain “cove”, 40 miles NW of Delta. The next 2 ½ days were spent collecting at Topaz mtn. On day one we were at the Knoll with hammers and chisels, which opened up small vugs, seams, and lithophysal cavities in the hard rhyolite
that yielded sherry topaz singles to 1 inch and some small clusters. The next day we explored another part of the cove, the White Canyon, where we found rare micro pseudobrookite sprays to 6 mm., and even rarer red beryl 5-7 mm. wide. Some beryls were in rhyolite maitrix in boulder float, below which we sifted for a few more loose crystals. One shovelful that Steve dumped into the sifter contained a very angry scorpion that I nearly grabbed with my bare hand! The morning of day three was spent collecting more topaz at the White Knoll area. Even though it was only Thursday, more people were beginning to show up. Best time to visit there is mid-May during the week, as weekends can be very crowded.









pseudobrookite, red beryl, topaz (photo captions)

That afternoon we made the 4 hour trip to Wendover, on the Utah/ Nevada border, to our motel. The next day we headed south on paved, then gravel roads for close to 60 miles, to the ghost town of Gold Hill, Tooele County. This mining district has a complex geology and mineralogy and was mined off and on for gold, silver, lead, copper, arsenic, and minor amounts of other minerals. Today the mine shafts have been sealed, but the BLM told us that unclaimed tailings were okay to explore. After navigating the 4WD mine road we parked on a flat area of tailings about half way up to the Gold Hill mine. Then we hiked up a fairly steep trail to the top at the South Pit and Glory hole. Here, clear and green crystals of adamite, plus austinites conichalcite, olivenite, mixite, chrysocolla ( including pseudophorphs ), and several other copper, zinc, lead, and iron arsenates, as well as some carbonates were collected. Most of these were micros, with some TN’s and miniatures. At one tailings area, a very angry rattler warned us off. This is a very isolated region, with no cell service. Plan accordingly!









conichalcite, adamite, austinite (photo captions)

The next leg of the journey took us back to Delta, then west to the private trilobite claim at Antelope Springs. $38.00( ouch! ) for 4 hours of shale-splitting yielded several complete Cambrian trilobites. This is a very popular and productive area.

trilobite- Asaphiscus wheeleri (photo captions)

Finally we headed back east, and decided to revisit the Marysvale rhyolite locale again, this time on a beautiful day. Here I found my best bixbyites. We decided to pass on the Yellow Cat petrified wood area of Utah and the Book Cliffs in Colorado due to time and lack of knowledge of access. If the road accessing these areas are at all wet, they can be impassable for even 4WD; so, homeward bound.


bixbyite (photo caption)

Utah is still a great destination for field collecting, thanks to the BLM designated areas, some of the Chambers of Commerce, and local Rock shops and private claims. Contact the BLM for current status at abandoned mines and open prospecting areas, the internet for Rockhoundingutah, the MinRec Jan-Feb 1993. and Holfert,etal. Field Guide to Topaz and associated minerals in the Thomas Range,Utah, for more info.

Ed Hakesley

Semi-Precious Stone Beads, Dichroic Glass Cabochons & Findings for Jewelers

We have expanded to include a full selection of semi-precious and other stone beads. Here is just of taste of what is in the shop. Hurry in for the best selection since we received small quantities of lots of different sizes, styles & stones!

We are also carrying a line of handmade, unique dichroic glass cabochons and a jewelry findings collection to go with them.

Come and see all the goodies Mon - Sat 9:30 - 6:00.

Forensic Geology

Today's forensic geology has a futuristic quality to it. Forensic geology is just what it sounds like, solving crimes with geology.

Its roots are with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes." Even though Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was only writing fictional stories, several criminologists of his day used the same thought process to solve important crimes.

With only a microscope and deductive reasoning, they were able to show guilt (or innocence) by examining soil samples on clothes and shoes.

The first real case involving minerals was in 1904 when Gerog Popp, a German criminologist was asked to help with a murder case. Eva Disch, seamstress, was found strangled in a bean field. A handkerchief found at the scene with snot on it was examined, and the snot was found to contain coal dust, snuff, and mineral particles, particularly, hornblende and mica. Popp was able to examine the layers of dirt on one suspect's clothes and determine that the suspect had been at work at a coal mine, then home, then through dirt to Eva's bean field, and back home. The route to and from Eva's bean field contained fine particles of hornblende and mica. The mud splashed on the suspect's pants with the evidences in the handkerchief left little room for doubt. When the suspect was confronted with the evidence, he confessed everything.

Today this evidence would have been secondary to DNA testing but it would have still been used. (And as a side note, DNA is being extracted from "fossil" records. This is where paleontology meets biology!)

There are hundreds of examples of this kind of evidence being used in criminology. There are dozens of special labs, both with crime enforcement and with specialized consulting firms, set up in many different countries that specialize in this.

If you'd like to read more about it, check out Evidence from the Earth: Forensic Geology and Criminal Investigation by Raymond C. Murray. We are taking orders for those of you who would like your own copy. They are $20.

Rick

Rock Shop Recycles Glass--Lapidary & Glass Art Have a Lot in Common

We recycle glass! We are now accepting sheet glass (windows, shelves), clean food jars & bottles, glass chunks, stained glass scraps or other glass. We're sorry, we cannot accept tempered, safety, or auto glass.

What are we doing with used glass? We're providing it to local glass artists! To see recycled glass art, hurry to Red Butte Gardens for The Nature of Sustainable Art show. It runs through February 24th from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Visit: Mcrushoglass.com for some great recycled glass art.

Here are some snapshots of the show:

Cash & Treasures Update

We just received this nice note from Carl, the producer of the show:

"...By the way, the first edit went to the Travel Channel and they LOVED the show. Thank you and thanks to your wonderful family for all your help!!"

Carl

We're looking forward to seeing the episode for ourselves. We'll let you know when as soon as we hear when it will air!

Rick

Lortone vs. Harbor Freight Rock Tumblers

Here are real customer comments sent to us at rockshop@rocks4u.com.

About the middle of August, I purchased a 3-lb rock tumbler from Harbor Freight Tools and have broken four belts in the process of tumbling and polishing one batch of agates. The particular model I purchased would be equivalent to a Lortone having only one 3-lb barrel. I did read one web site that warned about the poor quality of the Harbor Freight tumblers, but I wondered how I could go wrong for $22. I had my answer when I spent $16 on two replacement fans (the first two belts broke a blade off the plastic fan when they failed), four replacement belts, and shipping (close to half of the cost). The belts are difficult to replace and don't seem to last very long. I even tried a rubber band while waiting for the new belts to arrive. The rubber band did last for most of the pre-polish step, but was sticky and gummy at the end of that cycle. I'd have to be really desperate to try that again.

Near the end of September, my wife and I visited your shop in Salt Lake City (while visiting friends in Salt Lake), and I saw that you run multiple tumblers seemingly on a continuous basis. How long do the belts typically last on the Lortone tumblers? What is the diameter of the Lortone tumbler belts? Would I get more service life out of the Harbor Freight tumbler if I replaced the fan with a Lortone fan and used a Lortone belt?

I live in (city), WA so I don't visit Salt Lake City very often. I was impressed with your shop when we visited because of the assortment of tumblers, tumbler parts, grit, and rough rocks. Thank you in advance for your help.

RK

Our reply:

Hi RM,
Thank you for your compliments to the shop. I’m glad you stopped in. We have a number of customers that use Lortone replacement parts for their Harbor Freight Tumblers. Specifically, we send out a lot of belts. I believe the Harbor Freight sizes correspond to the Lortone sizes, so you can base belts on your tumbler size. I’m not sure about the fan. That may be a gamble.

We send out shipments via FedEx and USPS everyday, so it is no problem to send you parts if you want to give that a try. Either order on-line at https://shop.rocks4u.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=86 or give us a call at 1-888-762-5746.

May we use your comments and my response on our blog—with no identifying information, of course?

I hope that was helpful. Please let me know if I can answer anything else.
Sincerely,
Anita

RM replies:

Yes, you may use my comments in your blog. I will order later this week, after pay day.

I based my question about the capability of swapping parts on your web catalog. The entry for the cooling fan indicates it can be used in the Harbor Freight tumbler. I was wondering if you knew of anybody who had successfully interchanged the parts.

You didn't answer my question about the service life of the Lortone belts (i.e., how long do they last?). I want to find out if the belts break frequently and I have to accept that lot in life, or whether the Lortone belts are made of better material and will last for several tumbling phases or for several batches of rock. I think that the material in Harbor Freight belts doesn't hold up to the heat generated by the flexing and the transfer of energy (to turn the tumbler drum). When they fail, they are usually cracked in several places, as if the rubber became brittle. I've removed the top guard plate to facilitate air flow for cooling to see if that helps.

And we reply again:

Hi RM,
I asked our lapidary people and they said you could swap parts between Harbor Freight and Lortone. Also, Lortone belts are much better than the one you have. They last a year or more in our machines. The trick to keeping them running is to not over tighten. Also, don't get the oil on them.

Thank you for allowing us to use your comments. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with!
Sincerely,
Anita

Cash & Treasures visits Rockpick Legend Co.

On Saturday, November 10, the host and crew of Travel Channel's Cash & Treasures filmed an episode about Utah topaz at our store! It was a lot of fun, but a lot of hard work, too. They started around 10 in the morning and worked until 5 at night. We answered a lot of questions, took direction on camera, stood around while they filmed segments, arranged displays, re-arranged displays, made new displays, oh, and gathered props.


We were pleasantly surprised by how friendly the group from Cash & Treasures were, not only to us, but to our friends and customers. Kirsten Gum was just as nice off camera as she is on camera. The camera men, Luke Saver and Brian Cardello, showed the kids their equipment and posed for pictures. Some of us got closely acquainted with audio man Aron Prigg as he wired us with microphones--he was very nice about it. And last, but not least, Carl Schick, the producer, was patient with our screw-ups, open to our non-experienced TV producing suggestions, and just plain fun to work with. By the time they were done we felt like they were old friends.

They started by shooting opening segments outside the store. When they came inside, they had Rick sort and appraise the topaz they found while collecting the day before with Mike Unruh, well-known topaz expert. Later in the day we had the pleasure of visiting with Mike.

After Rick appraised the topaz, he helped Kirsten wash the topaz in an ultrasonic cleaner. My favorite line of the day was when Kirsten asked Rick if she could use his toothbrush. Of course she wanted the one he was using to wash topaz, but it was a great line, anyway.

After the topaz was clean, Alston showed Kirsten (and crew) how to cut topaz on a lapidary saw. Kirsten seemed especially impressed that Alston was not afraid of putting his fingers right up to the blade. Alston showed her he could touch the blade while it was spinning without getting cut. With a little coaxing, Kirsten tried it and sighed a sigh of relief when all her fingers were still intact. This works because a rock saw blade cuts by grinding--it's not really "cutting" at all.

Next Constance helped Kirsten make jewelry with her topaz and our findings kit (modified to suit Kirsten and crew). There was a little problem getting the bell cap around the topaz for the pendant, so Alston trimmed the topaz--twice. Once that was taken care of, Kirsten got her topaz pendant and earrings.

Kirsten had several nice display pieces, so Zeke and Frederick showed her how to display them with acrylic stands and mineral tack. They all seemed to enjoy a lengthy conversation about displaying topaz, their favorite gems, and where they like to go rock hounding. While I'm sure this conversation will be cut out of the final show, I wish you could hear it. It was very cute all the way around.

The filming wrapped up with a final appraisal from Rick. Cleaning, mounting and making jewelry didn't really change the value of the topaz, but it definitely made it nicer to look at!

Thank you Kirsten, Carl, Luke, Brian, and Aron for an education in making a TV show, a fun (but hard) day, and being so great to work with! We're looking forward to seeing the episode sometime next spring, and we hope you'll visit us again!

Anita Dalrymple