Desert Messenger

10 www.DesertMessenger.com October 5, 2016 Read Desert MESSENGER ONLINE @ www.MyQuartzsite.com Sky blues, Apple greens, & Spider webs ADVENTURES WITH ROCKS ™ www.RocksInMyHead.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 some Borax miners. At that time, it was only the second turquoise de- posit in the US known to European prospectors, but the gorgeous blue- green gemstone quickly became fash- ionable and sought after. From 1908 to 1910 turquoise's popularity led to high prices being paid for the gem- stone, and prompted discoveries of new turquoise deposits. Most of the turquoise discoveries during that time were around the original discov- er at Columbus in what is today Es- merelda, Mineral, and Nye Counties. Turquoise prices boomed again from 1920 to 1930, and in the 1960's and 70's. With each new increase in de- mand and price, new discoveries were made. Deposits in Lander County were found in the 20's, and during the 1960's new turquoise mines appeared throughout Nevada. The deposits at Carico Lake in Lander County are the most notable of that era. When all was said and done, more than 120 turquoise mines had been opened in Nevada, with production per mine varying from a few thousand dollars worth of turquoise, to several million dollars worth of the beautiful gem- stone. From the 1920's to the 1980's, Nevada was the largest producer of turquoise in the US. The total value of rough turquoise mined in Nevada to date is said to exceed $250 million. The Aurora Mine at Carico Lake, the Royal Blue near Royston, The No. 8 Mine at Carlin, the Lone Mountain Mine near Tonopah, and the Pilot Mountain Mine near Mina have been historically the most productive of the Nevada turquoise mines, while some smaller mines are notable for the ex- ceptionally beautiful gem material that they produce. In addition to being some of the finest turquoise in the world, Nevada pro- duces the widest diversity of colors, patterns, and matrixes. The typical range of blue, blue-green, green-blue, and green shades are all the highest quality, but Nevada is well 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 mix, and are unmatched anywhere in the world. Nevada turquoise can be matrix-free, or contain beautiful spi- der 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 equipment is typically limited to using backhoes and drills for removing overburden, but the tur- quoise itself must be cleaned out from the pockets or veins with hand tools or much material will be lost. Additional- ly, most deposits are not very large, and often only yield quality material for just a few months or years before the vein or pocket becomes depleted. To con- tinue production, the mine owner must explore for new pockets, but frequently fails to discover more turquoise. As a stone in general, turquoise is very uncommon. Five specific condi- tions are required in order for tur- quoise to form. Copper, aluminum, and phosphate minerals must all be present together in the ground, the host rock must contain voids in which the mineral solution can collect, and the environment must be arid. It is extremely unusual for all of these con- ditions to exist together, which is why turquoise is rare. This exact combi- nation of conditions exists in Central and Southwest Nevada and produces some of the highest quality turquoise in the world. In addition, the high con- tent 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 intermittently. Fre- quently, the turquoise veins or pock- ets are located within a larger deposit of gold, silver, or copper bearing ores, and deposits of turquoise are destroyed in the mining of the metal. The Number 8 Mine in Eureka Coun- ty was mined for high quality beauti- ful turquoise from 1929 to 1960, until ores with high gold content were dis- covered in the same area. In pursuit of the gold, the turquoise deposits were excavated, removed to the mine dump, and lost forever. While most of the turquoise depos- its are privately owned, there are still many opportunities to collect turquoise in Nevada. Quite often turquoise can be found in the washes surround- ing the mines, or around abandoned mines in old turquoise mining dis- tricts. In Esmeralda County, turquoise can be found in the areas around the Lone Mountain Mine and the Smith Black Matrix Mine, as well as in the turquoise 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 in those areas. Turquoise can be found in the washes around the Crow Springs area near Mina. The tail- ings and other areas around gold and silver mines in the turquoise districts may produce turquoise as well. Always be sure that you are not on anyone's claim or private property when col- lecting turquoise. RocksInMyHead carries Nevada tur- quoise from Carico Lake, as well as turquoise from the Kingman and Sleeping Beauty Mines in Arizona. You can order online at www.Rock- sInMyHead.com, from our Etsy and Ebay stores, by email or by phone at 605-376-8754. For more informa- tion, books, and downloadable re- sources on turquoise and turquoise mines of Nevada, everything for your rockhounding, prospecting, and lapi- dary needs, plus lots of great rocks, fossils, and more, email us or visit the website. Like Us on Facebook to follow us, and sign up for our email Newslet- ter at www.RocksInMyHeadWorld. com for tons of great tips, videos, tutorials, discounts, and more! Love our Articles? Go to www.JennJedidi- ahFree.com for article archives, blog posts, and photo journals of all our adventures. Happy prospecting! READER'S OASIS BOOKS 690 E. Main - Quartzsite (one block east of Family Dollar) 928-927-6551

• Cover