QUARTZSITE: THE ROCK CAPITOL OF THE WORLD- Well America Anyway

Hope you're planning on heading to Quartzsite this winter!  And while you're here, come see us at RocksInMyHead, Rice Ranch, Space A37, in Quartzsite.   We are on Keuhn on the east side of Hwy 95.


      


We have rough.  We have cabs.  We have dirty. We have sparkly.  We have old.  We have new.  We have big and we have small.

 

 We have lapidary and prospecting stuff.  We have gold and silver.  We have copper.  We have rocks.  We have fossils. We have core samples and artifacts.  We have mammoth ivory and shark's teeth.  

            


We have fire agate and turquoise, chrysacolla and malachite, gem silica and petrified wood.

   










We have rocks, minerals, and fossils from Alaska, California, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, South Dakota, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New York, North and South Carolina, and Florida.  We even have stuff from Australia and Morocco!

 

   

                                                  We even have jewelry!  

      

We have EVERYTHING.  We are the World's Greatest Rock, Prospecting, and Outdoor Adventure Company!!  And we are in Quartzsite!!   And best of all, we're not just here for the Gem and Mineral Show-  we're here for the entire season!!

Visit us at Rice Ranch, A37.  Email us, "Like" our Facebook page, subscribe to our blog and our YouTube channel, follow us on twitter- whatever, just stay in touch.  There's lots of great stuff going on here at RocksInMyHeadTM.  You don't want to miss anything.  Even if you're not coming to Quartzsite this winter.

FIRE IN THE DESERT- ARIZONA FIRE AGATES

Arizona is known for its beautiful turquoise, as well as copper and copper-oxide minerals like chrysacolla, malachite, and azurite.  But also found here in Arizona, not far from Quartzsite, is another beautiful gemstone:  Fire Agate.  

There are only two known Fire Agate deposits in the entire world.  One covers an area  between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Sierra Madre Oriental Mountain Ranges in Mexico about 100 miles north of Mexico City.  The other is the Sonoran Desert region in Arizona and California.  The closest sites to Quartzsite are the Opal Hill Mine, in Palo Verde, California, the Little Horn Mountains about 35 miles east of Quartzsite, and Oatman, AZ.  The Arizona and California Fire Agates have more brilliance, fire, and color than ones from Mexico.  

Fire Agate is a Chalcedony that was formed during the Tertiary Period, 24 to 36 MYA.  It is a cryptocrystalline silica with a hardness of 7, and is created when hot water saturated with colloidal silica and iron oxides is forced by volcanic activity up into cavities in the host rock.  The Chalcedony cools in botryoidal (bubble) forms.  The “Fire” is created when alternating layers of iron oxides and silica cover the mounds of Chalcedony, and then another layer of Chalcedony forms over top of these layers.  The iron oxide and silica layers refract light in a process called interference.  This causes the “Fire” we see in Fire Agates.

Fire Agate is sometimes considered to be an opal, but it’s not.  Fire Agate is a crystalline form of silica, not a hydrous one like opal, so it will not crack, craze, or fade.  It is a much more durable gemstone than opal, and very well suited for jewelry.  For the lapidarist, however, Fire Agate presents unusual challenges.  First of all, it is difficult to tell if a piece of rough contains fire or not, because the fire layers are hidden under layers of Chalcedony.   If it does, getting to the fire requires skill and exactness.  Layers of chalcedony must be ground away to expose the layers of fire, and it is very easy to remove too many layers, cut into the fire layers, and lose the fire altogether. 

Arizona Fire Agates are typically a brown to reddish brown color, with fire ranging from reds and yellows to blues and purples.   Some stones have fire containing all the colors of the rainbow.  Typically, Fire Agates are cut in freeform cabs to best enhance the natural shapes and patterns of fire within the stone.  

Arizona Fire Agates are available from Rocks In My Head, Space A37 in Rice Ranch, 605-376-8754,  www.RocksInMyHead.biz.   We have cabs and rough, information on the local Fire Agate dig sites, and much,  much more.  


OPAL HILL FIRE AGATE MINE

The Opal Hill Fire Agate Mine is the only Fire Agate mine in the world that is open to the public.  In addition to Fee Mining, the Opal Hill Mine offers full day and overnight tours to teach about the Fire Agates, show how to find them and what techniques work best for digging and collecting.  The fee for mining is $25.00 per person.  The prices for the tours vary.  

The Opal Hill Mine is located 20 miles south of Blythe, CA.  To get there from Quartzsite take I-10 west into California.  Take the Wiley’s Well Road exit and head South for about 11.5 miles, at that point you will see signs for the Opal Hill Mine. 

The mining at this site is hard rock mining.  To be properly prepared and enjoy your time at the Opal Hill Mine, bring plenty of water, food, sunscreen, and a hat- this is typical desert environment and there are no amenities.   You may also want to bring kneepads, safety glasses and work gloves to make your mining experience a little more comfortable.  The tools you will need are:  Rock Pick, Rock Hammer, Sledge Hammer, Chisel, and a Hand Broom.  Don’t forget to bring buckets or a backpack of some sort to carry out your treasures.  Be sure that the tools you bring are comfortable to use- you will be using them a lot.  You may even want to bring some sort of cushion to sit/lean/kneel on because the alternative is to sit/kneel/lean on rock.  

If you want to stay overnight, there are plenty of places in Blythe.  There is also a BLM camping area not too far from the mine.  

BLACK HILLS ROCKHOUND AREA

This is not a fee mining area.   This area is located on the north side of AZ route 191, between Safford and Clifton, about 18 miles north of Safford.  This is a BLM site, and the road beyond the registry sign is not maintained.   Travel trailers and passenger cars are not recommended.  There is no water, food, or gas available.  Pack in and pack out everything you need.  Just like the Opal Hill Mine, this is a hard rock mining area, and it is a harsh desert environment with no amenities.  As this is a BLM site, please care for the land so that this site will remain open for digging.   Please pack out all trash and garbage, fill in holes, and be careful with fire if you camp there.   Please be sure to leave this area beautiful for others and future generations to enjoy. 

We have Arizona Fire Agates for sale in the store at RocksInMyHead, Rice Ranch A37, Quartzsite, AZ- and also for sale on our website http://rocksinmyhead.biz/Gemstones_c209.htm. We have rough from the Opal Hill Mine, and also pre-forms and cabochons.


Fire In The Desert- Arizona Fire Agates by Jenn Jedidiah Free & RocksInMyHead is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at http://jedidiahfree.blogspot.com.

Here is a video about the Opal Hill Mine.   For more videos about rockhounding, prospecting, rock cutting and polishing, and other cool stuff visit our YouTube Channel! http://www.youtube.com/user/RocksInMyHead1

Also here is a RockHounding Book that has the Opal Hill Mine in it:

  BUY IT NOW:   Rockhounding California

and another recommended read for Fire Agate and other RockHounding sites in the Southwest:

BUY IT NOW:  Southwest Treasure Hunters Mineral Guide

and a Great all-around Rockhounding Book:

BUY IT NOW:      The Rockhound's Handbook

             

Rocks, Coffee Tables, and Percolators

A few days ago I went to a produce store to look for a bathtub.  The shelves were full of plump, brightly colored, delicious looking fruits and vegetables.  "If there's anything I can help you with, let me know", the pleasant lady behind the counter said with a cheerful smile. "OK", I answered.   It smelled wonderful in there, and I found myself feeling somewhat hungry.  But, after wandering around for about 15 minutes, I noticed, to my surprise, although the produce stand was chock full of produce, there were no bathtubs for sale in the entire place.  "You don't have any bathtubs?"  I asked.  The pleasant lady behind the counter stared at me in disbelief.  "Uh, well, no.  This is a produce store."

Seriously.  No bathtubs in the produce store?   Go figure.  Well, anyway, I really did not go to a produce store to look for a bathtub.  But it amazes me how many people it seems that would.   I encounter them every day.  And a few days ago I encountered two.   Two in the same day.  Imagine that.  

I had been open for about an hour so far that day.  It started off slow in the morning, relatively speaking, and I had time to clean cases, straighten up my tables, dust, and do various other "shop-beautification" type tasks.   I was busy doing those kinds of things when a lady walked in and started looking at some of the jewelry in the cases.  My store is a rock and prospecting shop, but I have an entire section devoted to handmade jewelry featuring set stones and rocks in some form or another, wire-wrapped, bezel set, cabbed, etc.  I looked up from what I was doing and said, "If there is anything I can help you with, let me know."  I don't try to hard-sell people in my store.  I like to let them browse in peace.   

She picked up several different necklaces and looked at them, and then put them back down.  I walked over to the jewelry cases, and said, " Is there anything particular you are looking for today?"  She put put down the necklace she had in her hand, looked at me, and said, "A percolator."   Now, not much surprises me these days, but I have to admit, that answer caught me off guard.   "A what?"  I asked.    "A Percolator", she replied.   "You mean for coffee?"  "Yes, to make coffee", she said, as if I was the idiot who didn't know what a percolator was.    After pausing to let the brain to mouth filter kick in before I said anything, I finally replied, "This is a rock shop, maam."   She looked around and said, "Yeah, I noticed all the rocks.   No percolators, though, huh?"     "Uh, no".

She turned to leave, as if aggravated with me- for not having a percolator for sale in a rock shop, I guess.   Trying to save some repoire with her- this is a small town after all- I joked, "Hey, have you heard about Coffee Pot Rock in Sedona?"  She was not amused.   I gave up.   I pointed to the vendor booth next to mine and said, "Try next door. He has everything."

A little later, I was working on placing some orders, and an older gentleman walked in.  He wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes, then stopped to look at some rockhounding books.  I greeted him and told him that if he didn't see what he was looking for to let me know, because I could probably order it for him.  He turned and smiled.  "Really?"  he said.  "Well I am looking for a coffee table."   Hmm.   A coffee table.  In a rock shop.   I thought about something a friend had told me- don't ever say I can't- say I will try.  So  I took a different approach with him than with my earlier customer.  I smiled and said, "A coffee table, huh?  Well I've been to Table Rock in South Carolina- does that count?  There's also a Table Rock in North Carolina, one in Oregon, and one in Missouri. Which one of those will work for you?"  He laughed.

Then I said, "So, anyway, what kind of coffee table?"  His face lit up and he started telling me all about this coffee table he wanted- the style, the color of the wood, the length, the height, and all the reasons why he wanted that particular coffee table.  I just listened to him describe his perfect coffee table, and then, when he was through, I said, "Well, while I don't have any coffee tables for sale right now, let me get your name and number.  I'll put it in The 'I'm Looking For...' Book and if I hear of one somewhere or someone brings one here, I'll call you.  OK?"   "Sure", he said.   "Thanks".

I wrote down his name and number in the back of a notebook- it was official-looking enough that it could have been an "I'm Looking For..." book.  He smiled and then went on his way wandering aimlessly into other vendors booths.   I snickered.   I didn't have an "I'm Looking For..." Book before he walked into my booth.  But that day I created one.   And I made a man happy because I told him I would call him if I happened to come across a coffee table one of these days.   Hmmm.   And now, a few days later, that book has three pages full of people's names and what they are looking for, regardless of whether it has anything to do with rocks.

Yesterday I said to a lady in my booth, "Anything you are looking for, just let me know."  She snickered and said, "Anything?"  "Yes, maam," I said.   "Anything."    "I'll put you in The "I'm Looking For..." Book."  She seemed curious.   "The What Book?" she asked.   I picked up the Book and showed it to her.  I opened it to the first page...the one with the man looking for the coffee table.   Everyone in this book is looking for something. She looked at the page.  "A coffee table?"  she mused.  "You don't have coffee tables.  You are a rock shop."    "Yep, but someday I might hear about one, and if I do, I know someone who is looking for one."   She smiled, asked me for a business card.  She never did tell me what she was looking for, but I'm sure she will someday.

And so, while at the moment, I don't have any percolators or coffee tables in stock, I do have lots of other cool stuff.   Two beautiful specimens of petrified wood came in, one from Nevada and one from Wyoming, and some awesome ammonite fossils.  I have lots of beautiful Chrysacolla in Ryholite, and some cool pieces of malachite from here in the desert in Arizona.   There is a case full of fossils:  Petoskey stone, fossilized coral, petrified palm wood, and trilobites. There are shells from Florida, copper nuggets from Michigan,  chalcedony from California, and Wonderstone from Utah.   There is a table full of elk hides and leather.  There is Turquoise from Sleeping Beauty Mountain and Agate from the Fairburn Agate Beds.   We have silver and copper.  We have gold and gold-in-quartz.  

We have books and maps about gold and rocks.  We have magazines and DVDs about gold and rocks.   We have gold pans, gold wheels, drywashers and metal detectors.   We have polishing wheels, lapidary machines, rock tumblers, and rock saws.  We have tools, supplies, and parts.

  There is a table full of beads, bead books, bead looms, and patterns.  There are even some pre-loved jewelry displays looking for new homes.

For those of you who would rather just wear some rocks- there are four cases full of beautiful stone and bead creations from my friends Sandie and Marie.   A young local guy fills another case with his fire agate cabs- calibrated and ready to be put into a setting.  And of course there are four or five pieces of my own jewelry, and a few of my cabs.  I wish I had more of those, but, alas, I have a business to run.  Lately I haven't had much time to cut and polish rocks, which is ironic since that is why I decided to open a rock shop in the first place.

So, the moral of the story is don't ever say I can't.  Say I'll try.
And remember, whatever it is you're looking  for, let us know, even if it has nothing to do with rocks.   I'll put you in "The Book".   Come by the shop, or call, or email, or visit us online.  "Like" our Facebook page.  Follow us on Twitter.  Leave us your email so we can send you all the latest info.  Stuff comes in and goes out all the time.  You never know what we might have or be able to get, so let us hear from you.   Besides, lots of things go well with rocks.  In addition to Table Rock in South Carolina, or Coffee Pot Rock in Sedona, AZ, if you need a Chimney, there's Chimney Rock in Nebraska.  If you are looking for the Courthouse or the Jail, there is Courthouse Rock and Jail Rock, also in Nebraska.  If you are looking for needles, there are lots of those in the Black Hills of South Dakota- including one with a huge eye (for using really thick thread).  There are also some in California.  True story.  Oh, and if you ever happen to run into someone selling a coffee table, tell me.   I know a guy who's looking for one.

Stop Signs, Canyons, and Pretty Rocks

It was a beautiful day out in the desert.  We, my friend Sandie and I, were driving through the desert on a gravel road.   It was a fun drive- flying along at 50mph over hills, rocks, and bumps.  I had been on this road before.  In some places you can go airborne if you hit a hill just right.  You can tell for miles ahead of you if anyone is coming from the other direction, because you see their dust cloud.   On this day, we saw only two other vehicles over the course of two hours, one coming toward us and one heading the same direction ahead of us.  They were just putzing along, so we passed them and left them in a cloud of dust.  Today was a play day- and we were anxious to get out to enjoy the desert before the season kicked in and there was no more play time for several months.

We were heading to Planet Ranch to collect a beautiful combination of Chrysacolla in Rhyolite.  I saw some pieces from this site last year- someone I had met at Desert Gardens in Quartzsite had shown it to me.  The Rhyolite is dense, not crumbly like most of the rhyolite in Arizona.  It sparkles with galena and is crisscrossed with veins of chrysacolla.  A really pretty rock.  It also slabs well on the saw, and will probably make some gorgeous cabs, although so far I have not had time to work it.

Up ahead we saw it- the landmark.  A stop sign at a dirt road crossroads in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the desert.   Go figure- a stop sign planted smack in the middle of the desert.   Granted, there was a four way intersection there, though it was an intersection of two dirt roads in the middle of a desert wilderness, 25 miles from anywhere in all directions.  But it was an intersection, nonetheless.   I guess Arizona has so much excess cash in their treasury that they feel the need to drive around in the desert looking for 4-wheel drive road intersections to plant stop signs at.  It really is kind of funny- a stop sign rising up out of the desert floor at a crossroads that probably has never seen two vehicles simultaneously in its lifetime.  But here it was - that lone stop sign in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the desert.  And on the pole, just under the stop sign, was another small sign that said "Planet Ranch"- with an arrow pointing to the right fork.  That was our turn.    

The road narrowed as we headed into the Buckskin Mountains and down into some canyons.   After another half hour or so, we came to Planet Ranch.  We headed off-road into a wash and up into the mouth of a canyon, where we parked.   Sandie had been here before, but this was a new place for me.  I love exploring the desert here in Arizona - it is full of beautiful hidden treasures way off the beaten path:  Ghost Towns, old mines, cabins,  ruins, petroglyphs, canyons, caves, and arches.   And while I was excited to be here and collect Chrysacolla in Rhyolite, I wondered what other treasures lie waiting for me here in this canyon.

We hiked up canyon.  The first stop yielded our goal- the prized Chrysacolla in Rhyolite.   We gathered as much as we could carry and hiked back to the SUV.  "What next?", I asked.    I knew we hadn't driven all the way out here just to spend a half hour collecting Chrysacolla, no matter how choice the specimens were.    Sandie smiled and said, "Just wait.  You'll see."  We headed up canyon a little further in the SUV.  Then Sandie said, "Here is my special place.  Let's go."  We parked, grabbed our backpacks and some empty Walmart bags, and headed into the canyon.  A flash of green caught my eye and I stopped to pick it up.  It was Malachite- another iron-oxide based mineral associated with copper, and a nice specimen.  "Wow!"  I exclaimed.  Sandie giggled and said, "Yeah, just wait, you'll see.  Let's head all the way up canyon- then we can take our time on the way back to collect more rocks."  Easier said than done, I thought- as I spotted at least 15 more interesting and pretty rocks within the next 10 feet.  I stopped to pick up rocks and take pictures.  And then, at Sandie's prodding, I stopped looking at the ground, at all the rocks I wanted to pick up, and started hiking.  It was easier once I started focusing on the beautiful canyon that was ahead of me.

There were several dry falls, lots of volcanic boulders jutting up, and over 100 old abandoned mines back in this canyon.  This area is rich in copper, galena, silver, and copper oxide minerals.  The copper oxides form in beautiful colors of turquoise- the chrysacolla we had come for- as well as greens and royal blues.   The greens  are malachite, and the blues are azurite.   Other colors were abundant, too-  deep orangey-yellows and deep reddish browns.  There was even some purple to be found- though I am still trying to find out what the purple is.  It was an amazing place.   The ground was just littered with red, orange and brown that sparkled with galena- the lead that is associated with copper, silver, and gold. There were some quartz veins running through the purplish volcanic outcrops.   Many of the boulders were covered with beautiful bubbly formations of malachite and chrysacolla.   I found a few choice pieces that had azurite mixed in- a much rarer find than the more common malachite and chrysacolla.  I was in heaven.

We spent our afternoon happily exploring some of the mines and picking up several bags of rocks to bring back.   I was glad Sandie convinced me to hike first and collect later- otherwise we would not have made it to the end of the canyon.  We would have missed one of the most beautiful parts of the desert here in Arizona that I have been to yet, at least as far as rocks go.  To see boulders covered with malachite just sitting there in their natural home in the middle of this gorgeous canyon was a rare treat.  Standing inside a mine shaft that swirled with all the colors of the rainbow, and sparkled with galena, was an amazing experience.   I have been in many caves and mines in my lifetime- none were as colorful as these.

The sun was getting low, and we were 50 miles out in the desert.  It was time to head out of this beautiful canyon and back to civilization.  We hiked out slowly, admiring the beauty and collecting treasures along the way.  Some would go out in the booth for sale and display when I got back, and some would be special treasures that would go into my own personal collection- a couple of choice malachite pieces, and a gorgeous piece of malachite with azurite crystals growing on it- and a really sparkly piece of galena with a unique crystalline formation.  This was a desert excursion I would remember forever.

We headed out onto the road.  We drove more slowly now, savoring the beauty of the desert in the amber glow of the late afternoon sun.  Sandie told me of how Planet Ranch had been purchased by Freeport-McMoran and that they were going to start mining there again.   That doesn't surprise me.   That area is rich in mineral wealth and water from the Bill Williams River.  Several government agencies have been fighting over that land for years because of the water rights and the mineral rights.  Water is a precious resource here in the desert.  The value of copper is heading skyward thanks to developing industrial nations like China and India, as well as the growing alternative energy industry.  Copper is essential in the manufacture of wind turbines, solar panels, and electric/hybrid cars.     Now Planet Ranch will be owned by Freeport McMoran.   We may never get to see that gorgeous canyon again.   I am glad I got to see it before it was too late.  The time spent savoring and photographing it, and bringing back some of its beautiful specimens was well worth it.

For more photos of the Planet Ranch canyon and mines, go to  www.facebook.com/RocksInMyHead


FOR MORE ABOUT COPPER MINING IN ARIZONA, HERE ARE TWO GREAT BOOKS:

Copper Mining in the United States, Including Michigan and Arizona




 Arizona Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, A Travel History