Mt. Ida, Arkansas Crystal Mining, Where to go for a noob Options

[BadKarma]

I'm wanting to get away for a weekend of playing in the dirt. Can someone suggest a crystal mine for a noob to go?

Thanks

Lee

[GeoMatt]

I'm headed to the Crater of Diamonds next week on the way to visit family for Thanksgiving. Any pointers from folks who have been there?

I did some work for the family that owns the lamproite across the highway from the park (Twin Knobs #1), and have spent about a 1/2 day at the park. A few pointers.....

• Be prepared for mud. I'd take a pair of rubber boots in my kit.
• Watch some videos on line about how to sieve for gems. They have sieves you can rent (square), or you can make/buy a saruca to bring with you. (Round pan, roughly 16 mesh - I like the mesh to dip in the middle as opposed to tightly pulled across the span).
• Learn what a rough diamond looks like. They aren't all clear or yellow at the Crater, lots of "burnt" stones there.
• Bring some buckets and a small shovel to haul dirt to the wash areas. A wagon can be nice, but the ground is pretty rough, big air-filled tires would be best.
• There are numerous "daily" diggers there. They seem to be concentrated to the west and the south (epiclastic and pyroclastic crater facies), not much apparent activity on the eastern lobe (magmatic lamproite). The regulars have their own wash areas set up on a semi-permanent basis.

There is generally two trains of thought for short visits to the crater: 1) move alot of dirt and get lucky, or 2) walk around looking at alot of surface and get lucky.

It's fun whether you find anything or not. I didn't find any diamonds in the park, but I do have a piece of the lamproite sitting on a shelf in my office.

Also, Pike County is a dry county, if you want a beer bring some with you, or be prepared to drive. The Timbers - decent beer, bad food, and sometimes live music - is about ten minutes from Mufreesboro towards Nashville and is a serviceable establishment with some potential. Locals were always nice.