[Rockhounds] Extreme Rockhounding

[Nathan Martin]

John,
As you probably noticed from the Discovery Channel videos, modern tunneling
methods involve huge cutting machines that grind the rock to a small size.
This mostly eliminates the possibility of specimen recovery.  I have not
heard of any significant specimens that were produced by the big dig here in
Boston.  This is in contrast to the tunneling that took place for the
Quabbin aqueduct in Massachusetts (between 1897 and 1905).  A series of
shafts spaced along this 25 mile long tunnel were used to bring waste rock
to the surface.  Hand sized rock chunks at the shaft 10 locality in
Hardwick, MA have been a source of collectible minerals including epidote,
fluorite and babingtonite since that time.

I'm sure the new tunneling methods are faster and cheaper but the early
1900's were indeed the good old days when it came to producing specimens
from such projects.

best regards,
Nate martin
Lexington, MA

On Sun, May 3, 2009 at 8:29 PM, John Siebel <john at pandemoniumgraphics.com>wrote:

> So I took today off and watched a Discovery Channel video titled, "Extreme
> Engineering" that, so far, covered "Widening the Panama Canal", the Boston
> "Big Dig"', building Hong Kong's Airport and the tunnel under the Alps from
> Switzerland. All of these entailed massive excavation. Does anyone know if
> these projects discovered any fun specimens? I would love to have played in
> the tailing piles of any of these projects.
>
> John
>
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