Lapidary & Collecting
7 messages in this thread
Guy,
>> There be lapidaries here
Glad to hear it. I don't have as much time to pursue the sport as I'd like, but
do occasionally cut a rock. I'll probably be posting a question occasionally. I
actually spend more time collecting, at least when it's warm enough. Matter of
fact, I like to extend summer a bit by heading for the SW in the fall. I've
done quite a bit in upstate NY (home) and would be glad to hear from others
interested in the local minerals. I'm mostly interested in lapidary material
and hand specimens, although many of our local mineral society (a section of
the Rochester Academy of Science) are micro collectors.
>> thundereggs, would be pretty boring without a lapidary cutting them in
>> half
Agreed – some I've collected were pretty boring even after cutting. I sometimes
have a hard time identifying leaverite in the field.
Regards, Al
"upstate NY'
I am travelling to Cooperstown and Lake George with my children who like
"collecting rocks." Can you suggest any nearby sites (or pubications detailing
them) for rock hounding or fossil collecting that would have enough simple
interest to hook a child?
Thanks
>> Cooperstown and Lake George
Almost due north of Cooperstown (maybe 25 miles) is the town of Herkimer, which
the famous Herkimer "diamonds" are named for. There are two fee sites five
miles or so north of Herkimer in the town of Middleville, both on route 28.
This is not too far out of your way to Lake George, and is a great spot for
kids. Look for the "Ace of Diamonds" and the "Herkimer Diamond Mine and
Campground". If you are serious about a money-making strike, plan to spent a
week and do some real hard-rock mining. Even then, you'll probably find that
the children have picked up more off the ground <g>. Seriously, the easy way to
get nice specimens is finding them loose or using a crack hammer on the rocks
the pros have left behind. Kids are usually much better at spotting them than
adults.
There are fossils all over the state – any time you see a road cut in shale
you're likely to find some, but I don't know much about fossils. One
interesting spot is in a road cut near Central Bridge on I88. The cut is full
of pyritized fossils. They weather out of the rock or can be dislodged with a
pick. That's 30 or 40 miles east of Cooperstown. (It's technically illegal to
park on an interstate, but you can get well off the road, and the troopers
never say anything.)
The only up-to-date book I know of is "Rock Collecting in New York 1993, with
Maps" by David Mills, Rock Doc, RR 1 Box 127, Friendsville, PA 18818. Sorry, I
don't have a telephone number, and I haven't seen the book for sale except at
shows. You could probably find "Mineral and Gem Trails, New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Connecticut" by Ed & Bert Sloan in a rock shop, but it's very
dated (1975).
I'm not really familiar with the Lake George area. You might call Vandall King,
president of the Rochester Mineral Society at 716-288-0059. Van is a consulting
minerologist and an avid collector.
Have fun, Al
Sounds stupid, but try any roadcut or streambed in the area from about 10 miles
North of US20 South to the PA state line. Most will yield some fossils. If
you see a place where people have been digging in the roadcut, you know you'll
find something of interest. The South edge of Lake George is pretty much the
limit of fossil collecting incidentally. The is some fossiliferous Ordovician
North of there, but you need to know where to look.
There are some commercial areas for collecting "Herkimer diamonds" — nice
clear quartz crystals along one of the North South highways North of the
Thruway in the Herkimer, Little Falls area (Been too many years–can't remember
which road). But make sure they have a kids area where the kids can pick thru
rubble for small crystals, because the serious collecting is done by bashing
big boulders of very hard sandstone with sledge hammers.
…….also, a bit farther northeast is Gore Mountain, famous for its garnet
mines.
As far as fossils go: On Rte. 20 they are Silurian, and Rte. 20 is great
picking for its whole length. South of Rte. 20 it turns to Devonian. And it
STAYS Devonian well into Pa., where it turns (of course) into Pennsylvanian and
Mississippian. Minerals in NY are scarce except in the North Country and on the
eastern edge. ……JayDee (in the heartland of Devonian, with no minerals.
Sigh.)
>> Herkimer, Little Falls area (Been too many years–can't remember which
>> road).
Route 28. The town of Fonda also has a fee area, but it closes after this
weekend.
>> kids area where the kids can pick thru rubble for small crystals
I don't think there's a specific area for kids, but there are large areas where
kids (and grownups) can pick thru rubble – and sometimes for good-sized
crystals.
>> bashing big boulders of very hard sandstone
I wish it were! <g> The rock is actually dolomite and much harder than any
sandstone I've ever seen. The really serious collecting is done by peeling away
the rock face looking for pockets. I've heard some of the pros say that they
average about four 8 hour days per pocket. Tough way to make a very slim
living.
Al
"Roadside Geology of New York" by Bradford B. Van Diver (Mountain Press
Publishing Co, 1985, 1989) is a fun and complete book *NOT* aimed at kids.
Depending on the age of your children, you may have to do a bit of
'translating' — but, assuming you will be driving yourself, this book will
answer many kids' questions ("Is that quartz or marble?" " How come that rock
is all twisted?" etc).
I grew up in the Adirondacks, about 45 miles from Lake George. If at all
possible, I recommend that you get the kids and yourself out away from Lake
George Village — either around the east/west/north sides of the lake, or
preferably, into the mountains. Follow the Hudson to NorthCreek/NorthRiver
(which will take you to the foot of Gore Mtn, the garnet mine region: watch for
signs or ask any local resident), or head north (either side of the lake) then
west into the high peaks region. The chair-lift ride is well worth the
fabulous views. If you're stuck in the village area of LG, the big boat cruise
is an afternoon's diversion. Also, the near-by fort at Ticonderoga is
interesting to most kids.
As an area of fair precipitation, most areas in New York State are well-covered
in vegetation, hence the attraction of road-cuts noted in other messages of
this thread. Get your car well off the road and watch the traffic (I speak as
a former NYS driver!). Have fun! — E.