Mining & Collecting

Bancroft, Ontario, Canada 1992

My first visit to Bancroft, the Mineral Capital of Canada!
Pointing out some nice fluorescent minerals along a roadcut near Bancroft.
Dr. Bob Carnein and I attend a field trip near Bancroft to collect fluorescent minerals. Dr. Carnein was a professor of mine at Waynesburg College, and is my good friend and geology mentor.
The trip was a success, as Dr. Carnein helps me with all the heavy crates!

Hull Mine, Yuma County, Arizona 1993

Ready to drive my truck down the main shaft to the 100-foot level.
My good friend Corby Waste collecting willemite, calcite and fluorite at the 100-foot level.
Climbing up to investigate a pocket which contained a white fluorescing calcite.
Collecting willemite, calcite and fluorite at the 100-foot level.
Here I am at the mine entrance in 2017, almost 25 years later! The mine is now a museum.
A close up of the mine entrance.

Purple Cow Ledge, Near Quartzsite, Arizona 1993

That’s me on the left with my good friend AJ Lombard, a fellow geologist. Here we’re mining zunyite using an electric jack hammer.
Me and AJ again. Hey AJ, where’s your hard hat and steel toed boots?

Ontario, Canada 1993

My first stop on this collecting trip was a fluoborite locality. I’m smiling, so I must have found some!
That’s me starting the long hike through the woods to the Davis Quarry. The Davis Quarry is known for its fluorescent hackmanite.
At last, I made it to the Davis Quarry!
Here is my good friend Corby Waste at the Davis Quarry. Corby accompanied me on this collecting trip and provided a much needed helping hand.

“3-Color Mine”, Pima County, Arizona 1993

This is the entrance to the “3-Color Mine”, containing willemite, calcite and fluorite.
Me and my good friend Brad Bingham, a fellow geologist, helping to collect some great specimens.
Working hard to remove nice specimens!
My good friend Dr. Pete Pinto, helping me and Brad get the job done!
This is one of my favorite photographs. It shows a rare hail storm outside the entrance of the “3-Color” Mine.

Rowley Mine, Maricopa County, Arizona 1993

Heading down a vertical shaft to collect wulfenite. What am I crazy?
Working on a nice wulfenite pocket.
After a full day of collecting, I’m heading up the main shaft.
Almost at the top!

Midnight Owl Mine, Yavapai County, Arizona 1995

A view of the Midnight Owl Mine as I am heading up the hillside to it.
The entrance to the Midnight Owl Mine open cut.
Getting ready to light the fuse and collect some eucryptite!

Copper Queen Mine, Bisbee, Arizona 2001

Debbie and I ready to take a tour of the world famous Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee. This is a really fun tour and I recommend it to everyone.

Red Cloud Mine, La Paz County, Arizona 1996-2002

Our good friends AJ and Sharon Lombard in the Red Cloud Mine open pit in 1996. The pit eventually reached a total depth of 103 feet.
That’s me after another successful day of collecting at the Red Cloud Mine in 1996!
Taking a rest on a pile of mine tailings in 1998.
Loaded up and ready for the long drive back to Phoenix.
On my right, I had found a very nice zone of fluorescent fluorite within the mine wall in 2002.
After scratching the wall with the trackhoe, all that is left is to load up the specimens!

Pure Potential Mine, La Paz County, Arizona 1999/2002

The old headframe at the Pure Potential Mine in 1999.
Exploring a drift at the bottom of the mine.
That’s Debbie, taking a rest after a long day of mining!

Potter-Cramer Mine, Maricopa County, Arizona 2002-2016

Drilling a small area of mineralization at the surface, right after I claimed the mine in 2002.
Here is a photograph of the surface outcropping, right next to the 60-foot vertical shaft in 2003.
Next to the 60-foot vertical shaft in 2003.
Never ending fence maintenance.
A long hot day of mining!
A nice photograph of me and Debbie taken by our good friend Sue Liebetrau in 2004.
Here is a photograph of me taken in 2016 at the far end of the main open stope.

Princess Pat Mine, Near Adalanto, California 2003

The Princess Pat Mine just before sunset.
Getting prepared to collect as the sun goes down.

Sweet Home Mine, Park County, Colorado 2004

The entrance to the world famous Sweet Home Mine. I visited the mine just before it closed on October 18, 2004.
In the mine, next to a vein of nice rhodochrosite.

Mendips Area, United Kingdom 2005

A cold rainy morning at the Halecombe Quarry.
A nice chunk of Terlingua type calcite!
Here is a look at Colemans South Quarry. I collected some very unique fluorescent specimens here.
This is Colemans Main (north) Quarry.
While in Colemans Main Quarry, I spotted a vein on the far wall of the quarry. I knew this would be worth investigating!
After a long hike up the quarry wall, I found the vein to contain solid white calcite that fluoresced red.
My good friends Gavin Malcolm (left) and Dr. Michael Doel (center), with me after a great day fluorescent mineral collecting in the UK!

White Knob Quarry, San Bernardino California 2008

White Knob Quarry in the distance.
Standing by a large rock hauler prior to collecting.
A short break during the very hot night of collecting.

Barite #1 Mine, Imperial County, California 2010

Barite # 1 Mine.
Getting ready to start collecting.

Resolution Copper Mine, Pinal County, Arizona 2011

Main headframe at the Resolution Copper Mine in Superior, Arizona. This mine will soon be the deepest and largest copper mine in the United States.
Here is a group of fellow geologists and spouses getting ready to descend over a mile deep into the mine!
That’s me on the left along with my good friend AJ Lombard as we finish getting our gear on for the mine tour.
Here is the “man bucket” that took us down over a mile deep into the mine!
Here I am in one of the drifts at the mine.
Here I am at the shaft station getting ready to leave the mine. We had a wonderful tour of Resolution Copper, looking forward to a return visit!

Reymert Mine, Pinal County, Arizona 2012

The Reymert Mine from the south end looking south. The Reymert is currently being mined for crushed rock (Pinal Schist)
The Reymert Mine from the north end looking north.
The first of only two fluorescent boulders found during the trip.
Here is my good friend David Giebelstein breaking up the first large fluorescent boulder that was found.
This is me next to the boulder for scale. Once this boulder was broken in half, it was a bit easier to break up from there.
Debbie with the boulder that she found. It was the second of only two found during the trip.
Here is Debbie again gathering up some of the smaller specimens produced by the breaking up of the first boulder.
Debbie and I in front of a piece of earth moving equipment. What a great day we had collecting!

Potts Canyon, Pinal County, Arizona 2017

Taking the hike through Potts Canyon.
Chalcedony geodes exposed in the weathered perlite.
Here I am with a beautiful display size chalcedony geode I collected that day!

Yellow Pine Mine, Clark County, Nevada 2018

Heading up to the Yellow Pine Mine!
Old headframe foundation.
Large tailings pile.
Collecting hydrozincite in the tailings pile.

Bonito Mine, Pinal County, Arizona 2018

Here I am at one of the several mine adits.
In the mine and ready to start collecting!