[Rockhounds] Field Trip Report - Alabastine Mine - Again

[Kris Rowe]

Thanks for the reports Kreigh, I've enjoyed your accounts of the Alabastine.
I frequently get to collect gypsum from the Panoche Hills/West Fresno County
area north of the Clear Creek Management Area, and envy you the opportunity
to go underground and collect.

The common forms of Gypsum we encounter are "selenite"  (is this term used
anymore?) lathelike included crystals (actually veins) nearly always with
rough, water eroded edges, and "satin spar," in qualities ranging from
course & fibrous opaque veins to transparent & near transparent and mud
included veins from 1/4" to 3" thick, with fine but distinct fibrousness.
These will cut into lovely display cabs and sculptures, with chatoyance that
varies from a platy "flagstone" pattern to classic "cats eye."

The closest we've come to going underground was in digging out a 1 1/2 ft x
2 ft x 4" thick vein of satin, which cut nicely. This was discovered in a
porta-potty sized cave that had been dug into a cliffside in the BLM Tumey
Hills Rec area, and was shared with friends all over the place.

For the most part, our present excavations are in the "right of way" of
sections of Panoche Hills Road & on private land, with permission. Our
excursions this year disclosed travel restrictions in the Tumey Hills
(closed to vehicles from 4/15 to 11/01, the "dry season") and there was a
new pile of granite boulders beside the road just before the Tumey entrance,
so perhaps the BLM folks will be physically blocking access. But that's a
topic better kept for offlist discussion.

The pics were great, how 'bout posting some of the recovered crystals? The
alabaster looks juicy, too. Know anyone who's selling or trading cutting
grade from the Alabastine? I'd love to get some.

Thanks again,
                         Kris



On Mon, May 4, 2009 at 9:57 PM, Kreigh Tomaszewski
<Kreigh at tomaszewski.net>wrote:

> Steve,
>
> You will probably be pleased to know Kevin took home several fist sized
> specimens of shale full of coprolites from this trip. He was showing them
> off before he packed them away. I've never seen richer specimens from the
> mine (but an 8 year old on this trip came really, really, close).
>
> I'll be looking for your jawbone. I have a daughter at GVSU.
>
> Kreigh
>
>
>
>
> On Monday, May 4, 2009, at 12:17 America/Detroit, Steve Sellepack wrote:
>
>  Pete,
>> I've done some collecting in the mine and there are a variety of forms to
>> the "shark" coprolites.  I put exclamation marks around sharks as I do not
>> believe that they are all shark.  Fish scales are also slightly less common
>> and every once in a while someone gets lucky and finds a shark tooth or
>> other fish bones.  One of the ones I have is spiral shaped, app. 1 cm long
>> and 0.33 cm in diameter (I believe, I'm writing this from memory and you
>> know how fish stories go).  Most of what you find is more bulbous and if you
>> look at them closely you can see fossilized bone or scale in them.  There
>> are also rounded pebbles in the same strata that one could confuse as
>> coprolites if they are not closely examined.  If I can, (I don't know if I
>> can get a good enough close-up) I'll post some pictures on the trip site.
>> Personally I found a fish jaw (approximately 6 cm long) that is being kept
>> at Grand Valley.
>> Kreigh:
>> As you know at least some of the people, I was with Patty Veditich, and
>> Kevin Cole at the time and was told it was just a piece of the sandy layer.
>>  I took it home and started cleaning it and it turned out to be part of a
>> lower jawbone.  Its good to see that Kevin is out and about.
>>
>> Steve
>>
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-- 
"You never get closer by pushing away ... " - Me


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