Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com October 18, 2017 Desert Messenger offers FREE Classifi ed Ads! Here's the small print: Items for sale under $1000. Private Party Only. 1 per month. Yard/Garage/Craft Sales, Wanted, Give-a-ways, Free, Lost & Found, etc. (non-commercial) For more information, contact Rain at 928-916-4235 or Email: Editor@DesertMessenger.com As a stone in general, turquoise is very uncommon. Five specifi c conditions are required to exist together in order for turquoise to form. Copper, alu- minum and phosphate minerals must all be present together in the ground, the host rock must contain voids in which the mineral solution can col- lect, and the environment must be arid. It is extremely unusual for all of those conditions to exist together, which is why turquoise is so rare. This exact combination of conditions exists in Central and Southwest Ne- vada and produces some of the high- est quality turquoise in the world. In addition, the high content of silica in the rocks where these deposits form produces exceptionally hard, gem- quality turquoise. Today, most of the smaller mines have been depleted and many of the larger ones are worked only inter- mittently. Frequently, the turquoise veins or pockets are located within a larger deposit of gold, silver, or cop- per bearing ores and the deposits of turquoise are destroyed in the min- ing of the metal. The Number 8 Mine in Eureka County was mined for high quality, beautiful turquoise from 1929 until 1960, until ores with high gold content were discovered in the same area. In pursuit of the gold, the turquoise deposits were ex- cavated, removed to the mine dump, and lost forever. While the majority of the turquoise mines are privately owned, there are still many opportunities to col- lect turquoise in Nevada. Quite often turquoise can be found in the washes surrounding the mines, or around abandoned mines in old turquoise mining districts. In Esmerelda Coun- ty, turquoise can be found in the ar- eas around the Lone Mountain Mine and the Smith Black Matrix Mine, as well as some of the smaller mines in the Monte Cristo Mountains. The Copper Basin and the Bullion District in Lander County are still some of the top producing areas of the state and it is worth exploring washes and tail- ings in those areas. ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS ™ By Jenn Jedidiah Free • www.AdventuresWithRocks.com In the early 1870's, in the now aban- doned but then Borax Mining Town of Columbus, Nevada, a vein of beau- tiful sky blue stone was discovered by a small group of Borax miners. At that time, it was only the second tur- quoise deposit in the US known to Eu- ropean prospectors, but the gorgeous blue-green gemstone quickly became fashionable and highly sought after. From 1908 to 1910 turquoise's popu- larity led to high prices being paid for the gemstone and prompted discov- eries of new turquoise deposits. Most of the turquoise discoveries during that time were around the original deposit discovered at Columbus in what is today Esmerelda, Mineral, and Nye Counties. Turquoise prices boomed again from 1920 to 1930, and then in the sixties and seventies. With each new in- crease in demand and price, addition- al discoveries were made. Deposits in Lander County were found in the 20's, and during the 1960's new tur- quoise mines appeared throughout Nevada. The deposits at Carico Lake in Lander County are the most nota- ble of that era. When all was said and done, more than 120 turquoise mines had been opened in Nevada, with the production per mine varying from a few thousand dollars' worth to sev- eral million dollars of the beautiful gemstone. For the sixty years prior to the mid 1980's, Nevada was the larg- est producer of turquoise in the US. The total value of all rough turquoise mined in Nevada to date exceeds $250 million. The Aurora Mine at Carico Lake, the Royal Blue near Royston, the Number 8 Mine at Carlin, the Lone Mountain near Tonopah, and the Pi- Sky Blues, Apple Greens, & Spider Webs lot Mountain Mine near Mina have historically been the most productive of the Nevada turquoise mines, while some smaller mines are notable for the exceptionally beautiful gem ma- terial that they produce. In addition to being some of the fi nest turquoise in the world, Nevada produces the widest diversity of colors, patterns, and matrixes. The typical range of blue, blue-green, green-blue, and green shades are all the highest qual- ity of hue, but Nevada is known for its unusual colors, as well. Nevada's unique shades of bright mint green, apple green, and neon yellow are due to high zinc and iron content in the composition, and are unmatched anywhere in the world. Nevada tur- quoise can be matrix-free, or contain beautiful spider web matrix of black, brown, red, or a golden color. Though turquoise mines have pro- duced hundreds of millions of dollars in gemstone material, they have his- torically been small scale operations. The process of extracting the gem- stone from its host rock is labor in- tensive and time consuming because the material must be removed slowly and carefully or it will be destroyed in the process. Use of heavy equip- ment is typically limited to utilizing backhoes and drills for removing overburden, and the turquoise itself must be cleaned out from the pock- ets or veins with hand tools or much material will be lost. Additionally, most deposits are not very large, and often yield quality material for just a few months or years before the vein or pocket is depleted. To continue production, the mine owner must ex- plore for new pockets and frequently fails to discover any new deposits of the gemstone. We have great lunch menus, serving at 12 noon sharp! Suggested donation is only $3.50. There's cards, books, games, puzzles, pool table, Wi-Fi available. Community Services, Volunteers Needed! Come join the fun at Quartzsite SENIOR Center 40 Moon Mountain Ave. For more information call 928-927-6496 Senior Center open all year! Monday - Friday, 9am – 3pm DEADLINE : WED. OCT. 25 TH for the nov. 1 st edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com SEE ROCKS PAGE 11

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