(UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
A dual-focus fieldtrip was held on Saturday, December 14th, to the Rosamond Hills area.
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The first part was designed for people who love uranium microminerals with great UV fluorescence. We met around 7:00 AM in a quarry off the Mojave-Tropico Rd. The meeting place was located at the following GPS coordinates : 34°54’47.9″N 118°13’02.3″W (34.913305, -118.217294)
This very early start time gave us some time to hunt with the LW UV light before the Sun made it much harder.
The quarry has nice yellow-green micro autunite crystals with bright green fluorescence and I saw at least one another uranium mineral. There is a short adit with a chance to dig underground too. Bring UV torches of your choice; dust masks and headgear are required.
There are two more uranium mineral locations within a one-mile radius, we will try to visit them as well after 8 AM. The quarry and the Rosamond prospect are located just off the asphalt road, fine for regular cars, however, the third U mine will require high clearance SUV – or a long walk.
At 10:00 AM we reconvened at the original meeting point for the second part of the fieldtrip – the Gem Hill visit for lovers of colorful quartz. After short drive uphill (medium clearance SUV required) we parked on the top of the green quartz deposit. There is brown jasper that looks like chert and dark green and milky green jasper/agate, sometimes banded together. There is a lot of material still on the surface, but dedicated people might want to dig for better material. If you need very pretty garden rocks you will fill your bucket quickly. The rockhounding books mention petrified wood too, however, during the trip we did not find any.
Thanks to everybody who came!
MarekC