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William Hope Handy
Joined: 24 Jul 2016
Posts: 3
Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 10:32 Post subject: Rutile |
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I own a farm near Parkesburg, Pa. where deposits of Rutile were discovered decades ago. One sample is at the Smithsonian. I am wondering if there would still be interest in this and how I could best find locations where there may be deposits. |
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kushmeja
Joined: 28 Jul 2014
Posts: 244
Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 11:16 Post subject: Re: Rutile |
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I'm quite familiar with that area, and the rutile deposits. They're not collected much currently because it's pretty much solely private property nowadays. There's a fairly large area there were rutile was found in the tilled farm fields and any erosional areas. There's not much rutile coming out of there in more recent times, so I'm not sure what's left there, but there's definitely good potential in that area. The best time to look is typically after farm fields were tilled, as the tilling would bring the rutile crystals to the surface.
I live about an hour or so away from there in NJ, and would be more than happy to come down one day on a weekend to see if we can find anything. From what I've heard, it's pretty hit and miss in more recent times, so it's tough to tell without actually prospecting the area. |
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William Hope Handy
Joined: 24 Jul 2016
Posts: 3
Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 12:45 Post subject: Re: Rutile |
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The problem is that farmers are not allowed to plow fields anymore.
Everything is no till farming. Hence the soil is not turned over. |
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Pete Modreski
Site Admin
Joined: 30 Jul 2007
Posts: 709
Location: Denver, Colorado
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 13:15 Post subject: Re: Rutile |
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Often, revisiting these "old and mostly forgotten" localities can be very rewarding! Even if there's been no tilling of fields, just exposusre of new pieces of material through years of rain & wind on the soil surface, may turn up new specimens. I'm sure the biggest thing is just to get permission of one or more of the land owners to search around the fields, preferably in a season when there is not too much fresh vegetation growth covering things up.
Pete |
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kushmeja
Joined: 28 Jul 2014
Posts: 244
Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 13:26 Post subject: Re: Rutile |
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Pete Modreski wrote: | Often, revisiting these "old and mostly forgotten" localities can be very rewarding! Even if there's been no tilling of fields, just exposusre of new pieces of material through years of rain & wind on the soil surface, may turn up new specimens. I'm sure the biggest thing is just to get permission of one or more of the land owners to search around the fields, preferably in a season when there is not too much fresh vegetation growth covering things up.
Pete |
I do lots of field collecting in PA and NJ, and permission is surely an issue. The rutile in that area was all soil collected to my knowledge, so I suspect that any areas that get washed out would be worthwhile, as well as any creeks or gullys where water flows. Another technique that may work well would be using a poker stick and poking into the soil as you walk around to see if you hit anything. |
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GneissWare
Joined: 07 Mar 2008
Posts: 1287
Location: California
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 13:29 Post subject: Re: Rutile |
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As the landowner, if you are interested in determining if there is a potential for collecting, you need to allow someone with experience to do some prospecting. I would take kushmeja up on his offer, and accompany him so you get an idea of how and what to look for. |
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William Hope Handy
Joined: 24 Jul 2016
Posts: 3
Location: Pennsylvania
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 13:35 Post subject: Re: Rutile |
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Interestingly I grew up on this family farm and as a kid I uncovered many
"crystals", as we called them. Some were very large and some contained
multiple facets. We also spent time in the same fields looking for indian arrow
heads, which we also found. After the soybeans are harvested I think I will
spend some time again in the fields. Are these finds worth anything on the market?
Thanks so much for your help. |
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Dale Hallmark
Joined: 16 Jun 2014
Posts: 189
Location: Texas Panhandle
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 13:42 Post subject: Re: Rutile |
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That depends on a lot of factors not discussed. My first reaction is to say yes but at what level is not determined.
Do a search on eBay and see what you find.
Dale |
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kushmeja
Joined: 28 Jul 2014
Posts: 244
Location: New Jersey
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Posted: Jul 25, 2016 13:53 Post subject: Re: Rutile |
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It depends entirely on the quality and size of the pieces. Rutiles from that area are known for their twinning, so a twinned crystal is much more desirable than a regular ones. There's a specific kind of twinning, called a sixling, where the rutile crystals twin at 45 degree angles and form a six-sided crystal. Those are the most desirable by far.
There's very few of them on the market nowadays, as are most PA minerals. There's only a few of them listed for sale on the entire internet, and most of them are listed at very high prices, but have been listed a very long time without selling. If you have a larger near-perfect crsytal or sixling, they would probably be worth a considerable amount. It's all quite subjective though, given that there's not alot of them on the market and there's not a ton of demand for them either. |
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