GEODE FEST 2018 Report

My trusted rockhound companion (and son) Chase and I traveled to the Keokuk, Iowa area for the three-day Geode Fest 2018 (September 28, 29, 30). Geode hunters, rockhounds, and mineral/crystal/fossil vendors came together in Hamilton, Illinois for three days of digging, cracking, contests, and rockhound fellowhip and fun.

Geode hunters were given special access to private and public dig sites all across the tri-state area. On Friday and Saturday, there were both morning and afternoon digs, and one morning dig on Sunday.

In addition, professional geode crackers were on site to help reveal the hidden treasures, and several contests were held, including Ugliest Geode and Best Geode in both youth and adult divisions.

In this video, we also meet up with Bryan Major, better known as "The Crystal Collector," and he shares insights about collecting geodes.

For more information about Geode Fest (2019) visit:
http://keokukiowatourism.org/event_calendar/geode_fest/index.php

Also, visit their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/GeodeFest/

For another fantastic rockhounding channel, subscribe to Bryan Major's channel: The Crystal Collector:
https://www.youtube.com/user/surfer1582

Finding Sweet Crystals at Sweet Surrender Quartz Crystal Mine

We travel about 10 miles north of Mt. Ida, Arkansas (Quartz Crystal Capital of the World) and visit the Sweet Surrender Quartz Crystal Mine. Join Chase and I as we explore this interesting SHALE deposit, laced with seams of quartz:

Here is a Google Maps locator for this fee collecting site:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Sweet+Surrender+Crystals/@34.6633578,-93.5211947,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x121fe7ef90f33c17?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiA6r3BisPdAhXGx4MKHe4KBTgQ_BIwE3oECAgQCw

To contact the owner (Randy Skates), call:
870-867-0104

Southern Illinois Roadcut Yields a Wealth of Fossils

Many fossil locations require a long hike into the forest, or an exhausting trip across the desert, or extensive travels into the wilderness. BUT NOT THIS ONE.
Join us as we explore a rich fossil site that sits a few feet off of State Road 146, about 5 miles east of Anna, Illinois. Crinoids, Blastoids, Archimedes screws, and more await even the casual collector:

Google Maps locator for this location: https://www.google.com/maps/place/37%C2%B026'50.4%22N+89%C2%B008'15.6%22W/@37.4473354,-89.138757,375m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d37.4473333!4d-89.1376667

You can clean limestone fossils (Calcium-based) with weak solutions of acid (Vinegar), but be careful. The acid will dissolve (not only the matrix) but also the fossil itself. To halt the action of the acid, add small amounts of Baking Soda until the fizzing stops, then soak the fossils overnight in fresh water. If your fossils are silica-based (quartz) then you can use stronger acids (Muriatic) to dissolve away the surrounding matrix, since silica is impervious to most acids.

STUNNING Petrified Wood from near Holbrook, Arizona

Mention the word "Arizona" to rockhounds, and instantly visions of large chunks of luscious petrified logs will fill their minds. Indeed, there is even a national park in Arizona dedicated to the preservation and enjoyment of an incredible area of petrified wood.
But where can rockhounds legally collect those wonderful bits of wood-turned-stone? In this episode of Rockhounding USA, we travel about 15 miles east of Holbrook, Arizona to the DoBell Ranch and find more petrified wood than we can haul.

For more information about DoBell Ranch Petrified Wood:
https://www.facebook.com/Dobell-Curios-Rhondas-Petrified-Wood-dig-at-Dobell-Ranch-161287674453101/?ref=br_rs

To call Rhonda DoBell to schedule your visit or dig: Phone: 928-245-9010 

For more information about the Petrified Forest National Park:
https://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm 

Google Maps locator for DoBell Ranch shop:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/9490+US-180,+Holbrook,+AZ+86025/@34.800289,-109.9103067,823m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x872f72fbd5bc629b:0x1c9f509cc36b9233!8m2!3d34.800289!4d-109.908118

NOTE:
When using Muriatic Acid to clean your fossils, be sure to wear gloves and eye protection, and avoid breathing the fumes. Always add acid to water, and never add water to acid, and always do your cleaning OUTDOORS. To neutralize your acid bath, use generous amounts of baking soda (until the solution stops fizzing), and then allow at least a few more hours. Once neutralized, pour out the old solution, and then soak your fossils (petrified wood) in fresh water and allow to soak for a few more hours, overnight is best. Never clean fossils containing calcium in Muriatic Acid, as the strong acid will attack your fossil. Use weaker acids, such as Vinegar to clean calcium-based fossils (most fossils in limestone). Only use Muriatic Acid on silica-based fossils, since the Hydrochloric Acid cannot dissolve the silica.

Rock Show/Swap Report: 21st Annual Missouri Mines Rock Swap June 2018

Hailed as one of the last actual rock shows/swaps in the nation, the 21st Annual Missouri Mines Rock Swap (June 8-10, 2018) in Park Hills, Missouri was a complete success.

Dozens of vendors from across the nation showcased minerals, rocks, and fossils from across the United States and the world.

Here is a short video report about this year's event:

For more information about attending or getting a booth:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1249800061698210/

Mineral Minute - Episode 3: Tourmaline

Today's mineral: Tourmaline

Tourmaline is a huge family of boron silicates that share crystal structure, but vary in chemical composition. It has a hardness of 7- 7.5 , cleavage is indistinct, a white streak, and a glassy luster. Tourmaline is known to be virtually any color. This awesome gem can even be multi-colored, such as watermelon tourmaline, which was was first discovered in 1902 at Dunton Quarry in Oxford County, Maine. The pegmatites of Maine still provide a rich source of this most sought after variety. 

Tourmaline can be found in the U.S., Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Africa, and Brazil. Here in the United States, tourmaline can be collected at the:

Himalaya Mine at Lake Henshaw, California

Oceanview Mine in San Diego County, California

Hogg Mine near LaGrange, Georgia

Harvard Quarry, Oxford County, Maine

Brushy Creek Mine near Asheville, North Carolina

Mt. MIca in Paris Maine

And finally Mt. Apatite, near Auburn, Maine.

Amazing Tales of Geology - Episode 3: The Giant Crystal Cavern of Naica, Mexico

We’ve all seen crystals small enough to hold in your hand, but how about crystals big enough on which to stand?

That’s exactly what happened to a pair brothers as they were drilling hundreds of meters underground in a mine near Naica, Mexico in the spring of 2000. Eloy and Javier Delgado discovered a horseshoe-shaped cavity in the limestone, and once they had pumped out the water, the two were met with a fantastic wonderland containing the largest forest of free-standing crystals known to exist in the entire world.

It may have looked like a Hollywood movie set portraying an alien planet, but it was right here on Earth, a natural formation almost a thousand feet below ground. News of the phenomenal geological treasure spread rapidly, and scientists literally descended on the unbelievable site, dubbing it the Cave of the Crystals or the Giant Crystal Cave, and with good reason. The enormous structures are composed entirely of translucent Gypsum (Selenite), with the largest crystal measuring in at nearly 40 feet long, weighing an estimated 55 tons.

Conditions in the cave were brutal, with temperatures hovering around 136 degrees and humidity reaching 99%. Even wearing specialized suits, researchers could only remain in the cavern for around 30 minutes at a time. Unfortunately, any samples of the crystals from this specialized environment would quickly deteriorate if brought up to the surface.

Interested in the prospect of visiting the Giant Crystal Cave one day? Don’t get too excited, the mining company ceased pumping operations in February of 2017, and the cavern is once again flooded with hot, mineral rich water. But don’t worry, even if you can’t be there in person, there are a few excellent documentaries available about this geological masterpiece.

It’s the Giant Crystal Cave in Naica, Mexico, another Amazing Tale of Geology brought to you by Rockhounding USA. Check out our other videos in this and other series.