So I had today off work because I worked two three-AM shifts in a row this week - Anywho, the day started out at eight-AM driving to Pine Creek. However, as I somewhat already knew, Pine Creek is private property up the anus... So I proceeded to the North Fork of the South Platte. Coming to an area I'm oh so familiar with - I started my ascent. This time, I took a different route up the mountain side, than I normally do. After about thirty to forty minutes of up hill, steep as all hell hiking.. I reached the top - Now, keep in mind, I'm a smoker - so I took periodic breaks to catch my breath and/or give me a chance to look around for a few mins - not seeing any signs as to what I was looking for, anytime I stopped...

After reaching the top of the mountain, I smoked a few cigs and looked around, had breakfast... looked around some more - had a couple more cigs. Finally concluded I had picked a bad mountain to prospect... feeling bummed, I decided to make the most of the day... head back down and then head over to Endless..

Hustled down hill, made pretty good time - though I don't own a cell phone, nor had a watch.. anywho, roughly three hundred feet above the road - I come upon a heavy quartz area in a gully... picking around with my uh... pick... lol... about 3 inches down and in less than a minute I hit crystals!!!! A whole pocket full... taking a break to stretch my legs about half an hour later... I noticed just below my newly discovered pocket... there lies... another pocket!!!! LOL... anywho, spent about three hours digging four, yes I said it, four different pockets within a three by four foot area of rock/skree. I took till I could take no more. All n all, it was a great day, especially for a new area of prospecting.

Colin

Congratulations!!!!

you've got a natural nose for sniffing out the good stuff!

Sweet! Congrats!

Sampler (still got a lot to clean) Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Beautiful!!!!!

Very well done!

Wow, you made lemonade out of lemons and had a great day!
Excellent! Thanks for posting up the pics, I like.

Nice crystals man! I wonder what the green stuff is.

I was hoping you could tell me - It's internal. I tried to take some better pics of it but nothing so far has really turned out. Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Plus I have a couple smaller specimens that have almost bands going through it of the same bright green (tried to scratch it off, use a mild acid, and/or just soapy water - it's internal for sure)

Olivine inclusion?

If it is internal then it is likely Chlorite inclusions. We have some small inclusions we think are Chlorite in some of our Quartz and Fluorite. Looks like yours has a good showing of it.

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment OK, the last two aren't green, but still look cool, nice 'lil trifecta. Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Wow!!!!!!

So further cleaning on one of the greener pieces revealed a little bit of fluorite, pretty small but it's there, nice dark purple - Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Very cool!

Welp since Chris bailed on me - going up solo tomorrow - heading out to the general area I was on Thursday. May or may not hit up the exact area - might try further up the hill side. Equally so, might just try a whole new area all together. It's a bit of a hike... still recovering from Thursday..

Anywho, should be interesting regardless of what I do/do not find.

Colin

Click to view attachment

Ok... So I found a specimen... that's well... dark purple - it's not however, gem quality, nor is it really a crystal - I tried taking pictures of the purple, doesn't show up on my camera... tried various filters/lighting/flash/no flash NOTHING captures the purple. However, when I shine my light on it, it shows vibrantly in more than one spot - kinda splotchy, it's all internal... not sure what the heck it is, nor how to give you a picture of it. The pics I have taken, the areas that are known otherwise to be purple show up black. It's like nothing I have seen before. Not sure what to make of it. If I described it right, hopefully someone 'Mike S, Woody' can help me out.

Sounds like a Fluorite mass to me.

Take a picture and post. There is more than one wasy to skin a cat. even if the color does not come through some hint might be seen in the texture. Is it heavy compaired to a simular sized piece of Quartz? I'm with Mike on this one. Can't think of anything else that would be purpule except Amethyst and thats not likely your stone. Be interesting to see, Woody.

Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment Click to view attachment

Wow. Guys, I think NRH may have just found some azurite!

Azurite .... Hummmm.....


Of course it is hard to tell from a picture but my guess would not be Azurite. Azurite and Microcline make for an odd combination, these two don't normally hang out together. This piece appears to be absorbing into the host rock. The blue is more in tone with Chrysocolla, but again odd to see it in association with Microcline. Can't never rule out Fluorite but my guess... just a WAG mind you... is for Blue Quartz! I have found some in that county, none as good as this appears to be. NRH Do a search on Blue Quartz and see if this fits the bill. Regraudless Nice find, Woody.

I think my first guess is still accurate. Looks like fluorite and does have some crystal structure from what I see.

Again, pics don't do it justice - the ones I recently posted are slightly better (at least show some color, not just black) But the specimen is dark purple - it's like no other fluorite I've seen (both here and various other sites and/or including images of CO fluorite from google.) Nor is it blue quartz - I did the search, and again, from what I'm seeing - doesn't quite match the rough specimens. I'm somewhat leaning towards Caveman's comment, although I'm not 100% that azurite can be found in this area (where I'm digging). But again, looking at the pics from various sites - my specimen really resembles quite a few of the azurite that can be found in CO. So - I guess what I'm trying to say is this, as much as I listen to every word that Mike or Woody say - I'm still very iffy on the fact that this is just a piece fluorite - I hate, truly, hate, saying that - keep in mind.. Considering how "green horn" I am to all this.

Actually if you had a little hydrochloric acid would help... Azurite effervesces being a carbonate...

Lordy I wish I knew what you just said, other than - azurite breaks down in acids - kay...... I'm at a loss... lol..

Fancy word meaning it bubbles. If you're so inclined, are comfortable working around acids/bases, have the proper PPE, and know of how to dispose of the material properly, then go for it.

You can pick up a gallon of muriatic acid (historic name for HCl or hydrochloric acid) that's a stronger than you need (~31% vs the 5-10% needed for the test) at your local hardware store for about $8. Here's the MSDS for it: Muriatic Acid MSDS

Please be careful if you decide to go this route; you can hurt yourself or someone else if not. Reminds me of a story where a guy got a cut at work, and wanted to sanitize his wound. Went over to the on-site lab and grabbed a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, but failed to notice that it was at least an order of magnitude (~30% solution) stronger than what you get in the first aid aisle (~3% solution). It was effective at cleaning the wound, but the chemical burn surely didn't feel good. Shortly after access control was implemented to the lab...

Drop two alka seltzer in a glass of water and watch it's effervescent power.

Cool find Colin. I think it's a fluorite also. Definitely would fit the area/associated better. Also looking at the third pic at center lower edge of the piece, I see what looks like it could be tiny spheres? That could be a mass fluorite very similar to what's found in Cripple creek at the Cresson mine. Interesting that in a mass it still tried to later cube as well....cool.

In FaceBook I was saying originally Lazurite, then changed my thought to azurite. Now after seeing these pics I'm inclined to think Lazurite, again. However, seeing pics is one thing. There's still a lot that I can't see in pics.

Oooh, it does sort of look like Lazurite (tho again, not sure if that can be found in the area that I'm digging) - hmm, Mike, Woody, Mr. CP, yer thoughts on this please.

I also have to agree that it looks like a beautiful purple Fluorite mass, sweet find!!

Lazurite has a hardness of 5- 5 1/2 and Azurite has a hardness of 3 1/2 - 4. Although it does look similar from the pictures, I have to agree with Mike and Dan. With a small loop, you could probably see the tiny crystal structure even in the mass, might also help to identify.

Either way....Sweet find Colin!! It's definitely a keeper.

As much as I need to do gravity tests - I don't own a digital scale... but it is however, on my 'to buy list' for the winter months.

Ok, I missed this apparently...did you do a hardness test? Streak test? Weight I don't think tells much until you've checked those two.
Lazurite's streak is blue and Fluorite's streak is white. Checking out the crystal structure can be done, easy to do, but that piece appears to be massive and so I'd go on streak and hardness.

Ok - here's the thing, I've never done a hardness test nor scratch... I don't really want to mess up the specimen with a scratch on any of it's "faces." Half of which is Feldspar.. and/or my cleaning tech.. need some work. (most likely on that last one) Not really sure how to measure hardness, actually at a complete loss there.. Scratch test I get... but again... ^^^ obviously the two go together... figure scratch gives way to hardness... no scratch.. pretty hard, some, whatever so on so fourth.. Is there a way to do scratch test without leaving a big ass scratch mark?? (if it does in fact scratch) I just really don't want to mess it up. (Living up to name as "New Rock Hounder," lol)

Colin, definitely go back and see if you can find some more of that... It is very cool.

I would if I had the gas... and/or can't unless I can get a ride... wink wink nudge nudge... I ain't doing sh!t other than cleaning rocks from Endless this weekend (and from that previous pocket... lot of interesting specimens) Was actually gunna post bout this... but hopefully anyone that I've met or have yet to, will see this... and offer me a ride/dig

There are several things I see that rule out Azurite, Lazurite or any of the copper minerals. The copper stuff is usually blue or green, not purple. The bubbly formation at the bottom of the last pic says Fluorite to me and the way it fractured into flat planes(cleavage) also is consistent with stuff i have found. One thing I always find with my Fluorite is the Feldspars. A scratch test will leave a mark. A specific gravity test should help identify without leaving marks.

Ok.. I'm not seeing the same "bubbly formation," that you are...3rd pic? close to center? .....I just don't see it... maybe my eyes aren't as well trained for spotting such... as yours. But I will say - you damn near trained me to perfection for spotting floats on the surface.. LOL

My textile gun just arrived today. Guess what I will be doing this weekend.

CP said 3rd pic but I think he meant the 4th and last pic. At the bottom of the piece it looks like a botryoidal (bubbly) fluorite formation. I can see it plainly when I zoom in.

I see the crystal structure, now - I'm retracting my guess. Read a little on Mindat, and a few others, and it appears that it's neither Azurite, nor Lazurite - especially on close inspection. If you had a UV light, that might help. Good luck on ID'ing it - I do think that MikeS, Woody, and Mrs CP have the right of it. It's a great find!

I noticed either of you, since my last post, failed to mention any activities this weekend... That's cool, I'll make a new post - (people will reply but no one will attend) And yes, it's a great specimen.. something other than smokey quartz... I'LL TAKE IT! Still unsure, until... oh I dunno, Mike, see's it in person.. (considering I've met with him twice, can't say that for the rest of yas) Obviously, I'll agree with Woody, Mike and Mr. CP - that it's fluorite.. ya'll know more than me, for damn sure.. and since majority rule - says it's fluorite.. it must be (tho, honestly.... from my research and what not, for the area.. it makes sense) but I'm still skeptical. Sorry guys, can't rule out the obvious just yet.

Heading out of town this weekend for a visit to the daughter and new grandkids, plus a side trip to get some new ink. Maybe later on this month - if the weather cooperates.

<Start Hijack>: Post up the ink pics! I'll be looking for a nearby artist myself in the near future. It's about time to add events, but I'm pretty damned picky about who I let stick me. If anyone knows a very good artist within about an hour of Westminster, I'm all ears. <End Hijack>

Looks unlikely that I'll be able to get out this weekend for any diggin; there's a very slim chance I won't have plans, and if so, CC is my default.

I still want see how y'all go at locating and digging for crystals sometime. Soaking up a few tidbits of Mike's knowledge has me yearning for more. Though I probably annoyed the hell out of him with my ignorance and questions....sorry Mike if so.

What about Sodalite? That's what it kinda looks like to me at first glance.

I did mention that I just got my new textile gun which means I will be practicing with it this weekend... and getting some neglected work done.
I'm already phasing into winter mode and may be done with mining the Colorado mountains for the year. Now it's winter projects like researching for next season!...and cleaning rocks.

You didn't annoy me at all. I am a information hound even more than a rock hound, and I enjoy sharing what I have learned with people who want to hear it.
Next season I will be happy to show you what I'm up to at the claim.

I know yer talking to Eric - but I'd like to get up there again.

Maybe just maybe I'll be a member when you do your group activity - if not, however, could I still attend?... lol...

And/or I listen to just bout every word, you, David and Jason have to say.