Graves Mountain Georgia,
Two Day Field Trip,
June 11th and 12th, 2004
Hello all, I thought I would get this field trip report started even without the specimen pics. I still have to clean my lazulite and I hope that our member Lee will email some pics of the nice rutile crystals that Scott and Shirley found so I can add them to the report. I will start by saying this was one of the most enjoyable trips I have been on in a long time. It was not warm at the mountain, it was hotter than hades! An EMT was visiting Jr. at the shop and said the heat index in the main pit was 110 degrees! We had a great turnout for this trip. RJ, Travis and I headed out at 7:00 from Asheville to the mountain. We arrived around 10:00 and met with Mark and Chris who were on their way home from Atlanta. GeodePat and Brian from Florida, and Shirley and Beth and Lee and Scott had already arrived the night before from Raleigh. Pat had been to the mine before and led the group to Jr's to sign in and start collecting. The heat did not deter anyone from having a blast as many who came had never been to this site before. The amount of minerals to be collected is exciting especially if it is your first trip here.
RJ and Travis set us up a bug tent in case it rained.
Many members asked about the geology of the mine. I am not a geologist but I do study the geology of the places I collect for my personal information. Here is what I found in some 30 year old reports about this site: The geology of the site is very complex. The original rocks were deposited during the Pennsylvanian Period (310-280 million years ago). During the late Pennsylvanian or early Permian Period (290-250 million years ago) the region experienced folding and heating. As the region was heated, the sedimentary rock metamorphosed into the schists and quartzite that now composes Graves Mountain. The dominant rock here at Graves is a pyrite/sericite/kyanite/quartz rock. This is a metamorphic rock. The primary ore is kyanite. Commercial mining began in 1963. At one time, this mine produced half the kyanite in the United States. The variety of minerals to be found include: barite, jarosite, phosphosiderite, variscite, quartzite, quartz, rutile, ilmenite, kyanite, pyrite, lazulite, pyrophyllite, hematite, goethite, limonite, sulphur, iridescent hematite, etc.. Mined many years for industrial kyanite, the area is now closed to commercial operations. Fortunately the site is still open to rockhounds.
A view into the main pit.
Roseanna on top of the ridge at the upper pit.
Chris had already found a neat specimen before we got out of the parking area!
Veteran rockhounds will remember Mark and Chris Stearn. They owned the largest rock shop in Asheville, NC for many years, The Silver Armadillo.
Shirley ready to get dirty.
Mark exploring one of the many holes dug into the side of the mountain.
Our member Brian from Florida. The heat did not bother him and Pat, they both came up from Florida for the dig.
We dug until around 2:00 and came back to the parking area to grill some hot dogs for lunch. Afterwards, some went back to collect while the rest of us vegetated in the shade and looked at our finds.
Close up of the acid lake. The chemicals from the weathering pyrite and associated minerals causes the deep red color.
New member, Beth, from Raleigh cruising through the main pit.
We returned to the hotel that evening and got together for dinner. Afterwards we gathered around Lee's truck for a tailgate party complete with guitar playing and rock sharing. Pat invented the new official drink for Graves Mountain "Blue Lazulite Margaritas." I still don't know how she turned them blue!
The next morning, I awoke to find all the members had went to the mountain early around 7:00. I got there at 9:00 and found John D. in the main pit.
John "The Sheik" D.
GeodePat thought she was back at the beach in Florida.
Lee getting dirty on the second day.
Around 11:00 members Jerry and Tena showed up with their grill and plenty of food for everyone. Jerry grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and Tena had baked another one of her great tasting cakes which I made sure I sampled twice!
Jerry at lunchtime.
Although I do not have any specimen pics from Graves yet I do have one I want to show everyone. John D. donated this piece to our mineral museum. John is the best amethyst hunter I have ever seen. Thanks John for this spectacular specimen.
13 pound cluster of giant amethyst crystals. Collected by John D., Anderson, South Carolina.
Altogether we had 15 members show up for the dig and we all found nice specimens to take home. To quote Lee Fleming, "This is what a rock club is all about. Getting together with great people and having a great time when your digging and still having a great time when your done for the day. The memories will last a lifetime."
I will post specimen pics etc. later. Until the next trip, happy hunting!
Click here for more pics by GeodePat!
