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FIELD TRIP ANNOUNCEMENTS In
order to keep our promise of "99% digging and 1% talk," Bessemer City Quarry Official Field Trip of the Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association The Gaston club had a great dig at the Bessemer City Quarry on December 12th, 2009. After talking with the foreman of the mine, he encouraged me to set up a trip for the MAGMA club to the site. I had collected at this mine back in the 1990's several times, it is loaded with great specimen material. Fee: free dig Hours: 8:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m. Directions: Take I-85 to exit 10. Take Hwy. 161 North exit towards Bessemer City. Drive 0.3 miles, turn right at 161 N/Cleveland Ave. Follow to 161 North. Drive 3.0 miles and turn left onto 1405/Ramseur Road, drive 2.3 miles, turn left onto NC 274/Tryon Courthouse Road, drive 2.3 miles, turn right onto Tryon School Road. Drive 0.9 miles, take first right onto Beam Road. Drive 0.2 miles to quarry entrance on right. Park at office. There will be a safety talk before the dig. Be sure to arrive on time for the safety talk. DO NOT go on any part of the property that is restricted, DO NOT go near the quarry pit, DO NOT climb on any high rocks or boulders as they may become dislodged and roll causing injury or death. Required equipment: Hard hat, heavy boots (no tennis shoes) Tools: I strongly recommend 6, 12 and 20 pound sledgehammers for this site. Most of the larger specimens will need to be removed from even larger matrix pieces. Bring your lunch and something to drink. Bring a raincoat in case of rain, the dig will take place rain or shine. In case of extreme bad weather I will notify the club of any cancellations at least three days before the dig. Some of the most common specimens found at this site are large crystals in matrix of spodumene, light green in color. There is a lot of garnet and numerous micro minerals. On the last trip I found, apatite, garnet, rutile, rhodochrosite, arsenopyrite, spodumene, tourmaline, pyrite, mica and much, much more. This mine was shut down for years because of a Georgia club that came in and violated the rules. We will NOT let this happen again, be sure to abide by ALL the rules of the quarry. View Field Trips from this location at MAGMA FIELD TRIPS scroll down to Martin Marietta Mines. __________________________ Reel Amethyst Mine Official Field Trip of the Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association This dig is limited to 150 persons per day! Be sure to read this entire trip announcement for conditions, rules and fees for this dig! The Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association (M.A.G.M.A.) invites you to join us for a field trip to the famous Reel Amethyst Mine located near Iron Station, NC. Our club has been issued a permit to conduct digs at the Reel Mine property. The owners have agreed to two digs per year at this time. The first will take place on the above listed dates, the second will take place during our Annual WNC Rockhound Roundup. (See Rockhound Roundup announcement below for exact date) In the past, this famous mine has produced some of the finest amethyst in North America. More of the mine area will be cleared before the dig. Members may dig anywhere in the woods on the owners property away from the mine area as long as they fill in any holes when they are done digging. Any holes dug in the cleared mine area will not need to be backfilled. There is plenty of room for parking and we will be working with the owner prior to the dig to clear more parking areas as well as areas for overnight primitive camping. Rules and conditions for this dig! You must be a member of the MAGMA club in order to attend this dig. To join our club for FREE, visit the MAGMA members site for more information on joining: MAGMA Club This dig is limited to 150 persons per day, you may sign up for all three days if you like. I will pre register members for the dig. If you register and find out that you cannot attend the dig, you need to let me know at least two weeks before the dig! 3. All persons attending this dig will be polite to all other persons attending. Any arguments between anyone for any reason will result in the removal of both parties from the property. 4. Hand tools only will be allowed at the mine site, power tools of any kind are not allowed. 5. These rules will be followed by every person attending this dig. This mine has been off limits for years because of people violating the most obvious of rockhound etiquette, common courtesy to each other. It is the goal of the MAGMA club to preserve and keep open collecting sites such as this one. We will not allow the actions of ANY rockhound ruin our chances for future collecting at this or any site! 6. All specimens found are the property of the digger who found them. The owner would like all significant pieces photographed and documented for future reference when digging to make the mine more productive. 7. All persons who were involved with the prior closing of the mine or banned in the past will not be permitted on the property. 8. All trash (including cigarette butts) must be removed from the property when you leave. Camping / Motels: Primitive camping will be allowed at the property. Campers may arrive Thursday afternoon to setup camp, no collecting/digging will be allowed until Friday morning. We do not know of any other campgrounds in the area. There are several hotels/motels in the nearby towns of Iron Station and Lincolnton. Facilities: There will be porta potties on site. Fees/release forms: The costs for this dig vary, so read this carefully, All persons entering the property of the Reel Amethyst mine will be required to sign a release of liability form before entry. We will have the release forms at the mine. Make checks payable to the MAGMA Club, if bringing cash, bring exact amount for you or your group. If you register for all three days, payment will be made before the dig begins on Friday and is non refundable. Directions from Interstate 40: I-40 in Hickory, NC, take Hwy. 321 south, follow to Lincolnton, take hwy. 27/150 east, stay on 27 east at Boger City, follow to Iron Station. There will be a Texaco on the right. Turn left onto Randleman Road. Drive 2.1 miles to stop sign, turn right onto Reinhardt Circle. Drive .2 mile, turn right onto Timber Road. Drive .2 mile follow MAGMA signs to the left to sign in area. Directions from Interstate 26: Take I-26 to Hwy. 74 towards Shelby, take Hwy. 150 east in Shelby. Follow 150 east to Lincolnton. Follow Hwy. 27/150 east until they split off from each other. Stay on 27 east past Boger City to Iron Station. There will be a Texaco on the right. Turn left onto Randleman Road. Drive 2.1 miles to stop sign, turn right onto Reinhardt Circle. Drive .2 mile, turn right onto Timber Road. Drive .2 mile follow MAGMA signs to the left to sign in area. View Field Trips from this location at MAGMA FIELD TRIPS scroll down to Reel Mine. ______________________________________ Graves Mountain Rock Swap and Dig, Official Field Trip of the Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association I have been in contact with Junior Norman about his upcoming "Rock swap and Dig" at the mountain. I will be setup at the dig again with the M.A.G.M.A. booth selling minerals for the club and myself, I will be camping at the Elijah Clark State Park for the weekend. Members are allowed to arrive and collect on Thursday as long as they plan to attend at least one other day of the Open House, Friday, Saturday or Sunday. DIRECTIONS: From Washington Georgia, drive 11 miles on SR-378, or from the Hardee's in Lincolnton, Georgia, drive approximately 5-1/2 miles west on SR-378. Look for a sign at the entrance to Graves Mountain on the south side of the road. View Field Trips from this location at MAGMA FIELD TRIPS scroll down to Graves Mountain. _______________________________________ Durham Coal Mine Fossil Hunt Official Field Trip of the Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association Our last trip to this mine was a huge success! I have had numerous requests from our members to re visit this site, so I set up this trip for this May. We found a lot of fantastic plant fossil specimens and it is said that there are trilobite fossils at this site, we'll see. On the last trip, Tommy Folger found a nice imprint of an animal paw, very cool. The last trip was a one day event, since so many people like the site, I decided to set it up for two days. We will meet at the entrance of the property at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning and proceed to the collecting area. We will meet at the same time Sunday. Fee: The property owner is trying to improve the land at this site for many different hobbies to include the fossil collecting. I will be asking the members that attend to donate at least $5-$10 per person that I can send to the land trust in our club name. Directions: From Asheville, NC, take I-40 West towards CANTON/KNOXVILLE. 18.2 mi. Merge onto US-74 W via EXIT 27 toward US-19/CLYDE/US-23/WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY/FRANKLIN/MURPHY/ATLANTA. 1.4 mi. Merge onto US-74 W via EXIT 107 toward E JONES COVE (Crossing into TENNESSEE). 143.4 mi. Take the US-64-BYP W/TN-60 S ramp toward CHATTANOOGA/I-75/DALTON. 0.3 mi. Merge onto US-74 W. 6.7 mi. Merge onto I-75 S via the ramp on the LEFT toward CHATTANOOGA. 18.8 mi. Merge onto I-24 W via EXIT 2 toward CHATTANOOGA/I-59/BIRMINGHAM. 6.3 mi. Take the US-27 N exit, EXIT 178, toward DOWNTOWN/LOOKOUT MT/MARKET ST. 0.2 mi. Merge onto S MARKET ST/TN-58 N. 0.3 mi. Turn LEFT onto W 20TH ST/US-11/US-64/TN-58. 0.3 mi. Turn LEFT onto BROAD ST/US-11 S/US-41 S/US-64 W/US-72 W/TN-2 W. Continue to follow US-11 S/US-41 S/US-64 W/US-72 W. 1.5 mi. Turn LEFT onto TENNESSEE AVE/TN-17. 0.4 mi. Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto ST ELMO AVE/TN-17/TN-58. 0.1 mi. Turn RIGHT onto OCHS HWY/TN-58 (Crossing into GEORGIA). 2.2 mi. OCHS HWY/TN-58 becomes GA-157. 1.2 mi. Turn LEFT onto MCFARLAND RD/GA-157. 0.6 mi. Turn LEFT onto GA-157/GA-189/LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN SCENIC HWY. 3.8 mi. Turn LEFT onto GA-157. 1.9 mi. Turn RIGHT to stay on GA-157. 3.6 mi. Turn RIGHT onto OLD DURHAM RD. 0.6 mi. 585 Durham Rd Note: the above address is not the address to the property we will be visiting, the property has no actual address so this one is used for map quest. The entrance to the property is across the road from this address and that is where we will meet, across the road at the entrance to the mine area. View Field Trips from this location at MAGMA FIELD TRIPS scroll down to Durham Coal Mine. _______________________________________ Highlands Road Gem Show NE corner of Highway 441 and Highlands Road Asheville Gem Fest Colburn Earth Science Museum, Pack Place Highlands Road Gem Show NE corner of Highway 441 and Highlands Road 7th Annual Western North Carolina Location: Camp Stephens (just outside the city of Asheville)
This is a special roundup for the MAGMA Club. It is our 7th annual roundup as well as the 10th anniversary of our club! Over the past few years the roundup has grown to be a major event each summer. Our last roundup was getting to large to take place at my property, even with the 3 acres of cleared land. I was able to rent a camp that my family has used for 30 years for family reunions. This is an excellent location for our event. About five times the space that I have at my property.
Big pavilion This event will be based at Camp Stephens. This property is located just outside the city of Asheville off of Interstate 26. The camp is just 3.5 miles from the Interstate but located in a secluded wooded area on the French Broad River. There is room for many rv's and tent campers, at least three times what I had at my property. There is a large indoor pavilion with two bathrooms, two showers, a kitchen, electricity and water for the outside campers and inside the pavilion. There is a large campfire pit for use by campers and firewood is provided. There is also a smaller campfire pit for use by the campers. I will also have two porta potties' on site for extra bathrooms. There will be a dumpster on site for all garbage (be sure to bag your garbage before putting it in the dumpster). Campers will be able to swim, fish, canoe, etc. in the river. I plan to bring my snorkeling gear to hunt the river for artifacts. The camp area is completely wooded so there is plenty of shade. We will be allowed to use the numerous tables provided in the pavilion to set up and swap our rocks and minerals. 3 miles from the camp are numerous gas stations, a mall, restaurants, movie theater, motels/hotels and more.
Large fire pit area. Campers are welcome to begin arriving Monday morning to set up camp and get ready for the weeks events. Wednesday the 28th; a trip to the Ray Mica Mine and the Sinkhole Mines in Burnesville and Bandana, NC. We will leave camp at 8:00 a.m. and caravan to the mines. Thursday the 29th; we will have a group heading to the Crabtree Emerald Mine to hunt for NC emeralds and another group going to the Grassy Creek show in Spruce Pine. Friday the 30th; a trip to the Reel Amethyst Mine in Lincolnton, NC. This is one of only two times per year that this mine will be open to collecting. We will leave camp at 8:00 a.m. and caravan to the mine. The above schedule is subject to change. Many of our regular roundup attendees have sites that they like to visit and they may be leading trips to various other locations other than those listed, you are welcome to join them if you like. Each day of the Roundup, members will give demonstrations on wire wrap, gem cutting, cabbing, faceting etc. Display tables will be available to show off your favorite specimens. The members have a cookout in the evening and a big campfire. There will be tables setup throughout the week for people to sell and trade their rocks and minerals, gems and jewelry. Each evening there will be a television set up showing movies related to rocks, minerals, and fossils to include: "Red Treasure of the Rockies, mining Rhodochrosite at the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado", "The Gem Hunter in Afghanistan, Gary Bowersox", "Fossil and Artifact Hunting the Cooper River, Richard Jacquot and Jerry Fortenberry". This year we will have many new dvd's and slide shows to watch as well!
Big kitchen for use by the campers. Cost for Roundup: $25.00 per person, this covers all 7 days of the Roundup. Accommodations: Camping on the Camp Stephens property is included in the above cost. Directions: Take exit 33 off of Interstate 26 just outside of Asheville NC. Go west on Brevard Road/Hwy. 191. Drive 3.5 miles to Clayton Road on the left, turn left and drive 2/10ths of a mile to the entrance to Camp Stephens on the left. I will have a large MAGMA Roundup sign at the entrance. Country Inn and Suites: 845 BREVARD RD, Asheville, NC 28806 Rodeway Inn and Suites: 9 Wedgefield Drive,
Asheville, NC 28806 Fairfield Inn and Suites: 11 Rocky Ridge Road,
Asheville, NC 28806 Hampton Inn:
One Rocky Ridge Road, Asheville, NC 28806 Comfort Suites: 890 Brevard Road,
Asheville, NC 28806
Camp is right on the river.
Pavilion
River access
Another fire pit
Big indoor fireplace
Inside the pavilion View Field Trips from this location at MAGMA FIELD TRIPS scroll down to Rockhound Roundup Reports. ________________________________________ New England Saturday August 14th – Saturday August 21st, 2010 Official Field trip of the Mountain Area Gem and Mineral Association MAGMA members will be sampling a variety of New England mineral collecting opportunities from August 14th – August 21st, 2010. Join us if you can, when you can. August 14th: Mt. Apatite Park (Maine Feldspar Quarry and Greenlaw Quarry), Auburn, Maine Arrive Poland Mining Camps, Poland, Maine for dinner (advance reservations required, see below for details)August 15th: Poland Mining Camps, Poland, Maine August 16th: Poland Mining Camps, Poland, Maine August 17th: Poland Mining Camps, Poland, Maine August 18th: Poland Mining Camps, Poland, Maine August 19th: Poland Mining Camps, Poland, Maine August 20th: Poland Mining Camps, Poland, Maine (advance reservations required, see below for details) Option B August 21st: Poland Mining Camps, Poland, Maine From jct. Of Rtes. 4-100-202 and 11-121 in Auburn go west 1.9 miles on 11-121. Turn right onto Garfield Road and drive northwest for 0.5 mile. Turn left onto Stevens Mill Road. Go 0.2 mile and park outside gate. Do not drive past the gate at the parking area even if it’s open. This is a National Guard Armory and foot traffic only is permitted to access Mt. Apatite Park. Walk straight from the parking area gate to the old mine road beginning at the wooded area in the distance. Follow the mine road to the reach the Greenlaw Quarry and dumps (on right) at the top of the hill and the Maine Feldspar Quarry and its extensive dumps (on left). A very informative geological guide to Mt. Apatite Park is available from the Maine GeologicalSurvey: http://www.state.me.us/doc/nrimc/mgs/explore/minerals/sites/apatite.htm. Poland Mining Camps, Poland Maine (advance reservations required, make your own, but let them know you’re with MAGMA) Poland Mining Camps offers a variety of packages for collectors involving lodging with meals and one day tag along trips. Prices last year (subject to change) were: Lodging, Meals and Collecting Packages (food and lodging subject to Maine sales tax) Tag-a-long trips (Reservations required) $60/day per person Poland Mining Camps From Interstate 95 north take Exit 63 at Gray, Maine. Travel north of Rt. 26 to Poland, Maine. Continue north on Rt. 26 to the entrance of Poland Mining Camps on the right, across from the High School. Case Quarries, Portland, Connecticut (Collecting is allowed by permit only) Recommended equipment: Long pants, heavy boots (no tennis shoes), your favorite digging tools, rock hammer, crack hammer or sledge hammer, chisels, buckets, specimen flats, newspaper, etc. Be sure to bring a loupe for micros if you are so interested, especially when collecting in Maine, as many sites can be very prolific for the micro collector. |
