I've been up all night trying to find a gap in the overcast to watch the Lyrid Shower So I've posted a lot tonight, but wanted to share this link:
This link for minerals in Kentucky by the Lexington Rock Club is fantastic. take a gander at Marion County's opportunities.
<http://lexrockclub.tripod.com/id10.html>
Lots more collecting areas it seems than just the Columbia Mine which is managed by a museum and allows collecting as a fund raiser.
The float process used in Tennessee sphalerite is very efficient and the recovery exceeds 98%. What wasn't processed to pave roads there at the mine was used as backfill in the mines as levels were mined out. I was given a tour of the Jefferson City zinc mines and saw this process. I think recovery is the highest in all of mining where non-slurry floating is used. Neither of these mines produce fluorescent material.
Incidentally the massive in-vein sphalerite from Elmwood in middle TN is resinous brown but the "black strap/black jack" crystal clusters are dark molassas brown almost black-hence the name I assume. The sphalerite from Missouri is vivid dark red(aka Ruby jack). I've seen some so gem quality and translucent it was cut into a flawless gemstone. The sphalerite from Jefferson City in East Tennessee is lemon yellow--go figure. Neither Tennessee locations are a part of the Cave-in-Rock fluor-spar district and fluorite is uncommon in Elmwood and not found in Jefferson City. Tennessee is not a great area for mineral collecting but we do have a few select spots.
When the Elmwood mine was opened before ( and still owned by the Environmentalist Al Gore & family), I heard there was a mineral dealer who had first dibs on specimens and local collectors were kind of shut out. But like you, I thrive on collecting on the dumps because it is impossible to not leave something somewhere when minerals are mined so I take the outchance of finding something anyway. A quirk of my karma is I find my best specimen of any site within a few steps or couple minutes from getting out of my car then little else no matter how long I search.
I haven't collected from the Columbia Mine in western Kentucky but it is on my bucket list. The mine was originally opened by Andrew Jackson as a lead mine and was/is known for amongst other things high silver-bearing galena. (i.e. argillaceous)which can still be found today along with all colors of fluorite or so I'm told.
Hope you get a chance to collect on this end of the country sometime soon. I'll check craigslist now, daylight is breaking.
Regards,
Elton
On Wednesday, April 23, 2014 3:22 AM, Kim Noyes <kimnoyes@gmail.com> wrote:
Thanks Eman... I also would look at yard sales and newspaper announcements of any estate sales while I was there and check Free Cyle and Craigslist.... you never can know what might pop up even during a short visit... and I enjoy the hunt of rockhounding so I'd try to get out and pound the ground myself for float.
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