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Digging a little...
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Justin297206913




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PostPosted: Mar 23, 2014 12:56    Post subject: Digging a little...  

Finally got around to digging a little ( What is it? ) I dug down about 3 feet in an area with no grass in the pictures and turned up nothing. Does the fact that I found just a piece of the pocket mean that it could have been found already or that it is no longer intact?
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Pierre Joubert




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PostPosted: Mar 23, 2014 13:05    Post subject: Re: Digging a little  

Justin297206913 wrote:
finally got around to digging a little. dug down about 3 feet in the area with no grass in the pictures and turned up nothing. does the fact that i found just a piece of the pocket mean that it could have been found already or that it is no longer enact?

Hi Justin. If someone else cleaned a pocket out, there will be tell tale signs; debris related to the pocket scattered on the surface. If nothing vaguely resembling crystals turned up with your dig, then there probably is nothing (or you did not dig deep enough).

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Justin297206913




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PostPosted: Mar 23, 2014 13:11    Post subject: Re: Digging a little  

It was all dirt and mud with small quartz mixed in. Mostly dirt though. Is it possible to have a deep pocket(deeper than 3 feet) if a big piece is on the surface?
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Pierre Joubert




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PostPosted: Mar 23, 2014 13:24    Post subject: Re: Digging a little  

Justin297206913 wrote:
It was all dirt and mud with small quartz mixed in. Mostly dirt though. Is it possible to have a deep pocket(deeper than 3 feet) if a big piece is on the surface?

Justin, if I was in your shoes, I would look for definite tell tale signs indicating the possibility of a pocket. By tell tale signs I mean, similar to the piece you found; quartz with some facets. If none in that area, there is a strong possibility that someone brought the piece (you found) in from somewhere else.

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Justin297206913




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PostPosted: Mar 23, 2014 13:31    Post subject: Re: Digging a little  

Possibly washed down from uphill? There is a spot uphill with extruding rock but it doesn't look like the white quartz that is pictured with my find.
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PostPosted: Mar 24, 2014 06:53    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

I dug around a little, maybe 3 feet down in the bare spot and came up with nothing. Anyone else have any input? There is a protruding rock up hill from where it was found but the color is a lot darker than the white quartz attached to the one I found.
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Justin297206913




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PostPosted: Mar 25, 2014 17:21    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

again, I'm new to this so excuse the questions. if there is one pocket in an area does that usually mean there is more than one?
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Mike Wood




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PostPosted: Mar 27, 2014 13:34    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Hi Justin, pockets in granite which contain smoky quartz crystals such as yours that you found, seldom occur singly; but they do vary in abundance quite markedly over short distances. In other words there could be other pockets in the vicinity, but whether there are a lot or just a few is pretty much the luck of the draw.
Now, if you were to borrow or hire a digging machine, and dig all that area of ground down to bedrock, then you would know for sure! Of course if there were crystals starting to appear then you would stop using the track-hoe excavator and begin to dig more gently... Of course some crystals would be damaged by doing this but if there are several large pockets waiting to be discovered, there would be many more crystals to be had which could be dug out more carefully.
This may sound a bit crazy and rash but if that piece of ground belonged to me I wouldn't hesitate - I'd dig all of it up, if I thought there could be smoky quartz crystals like the one you found there.
Keep on digging and good luck!

Regards, Mike
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PostPosted: Mar 27, 2014 14:22    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Justin, I want to repeat my concern that you start digging your yard full of holes and find nothing (unless you plan to plant trees afterwards)! I will not do anything of this sort unless I find evidence of a pocket. If that crystal came from that direct area, it would not have surfaced without evidence. Perhaps you should recce the area around your property for any evidence. If you do not know what evidence to look for, search for a Mineral club in your vacinity and ask someones advice. Perhaps some one there can tell you whether crystals like that are found in your area. Is there no one on this Forum that is familiar with your area? I would still consider the possibility that the crystal was imported.
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Justin297206913




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PostPosted: Mar 27, 2014 15:25    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Ok I appreciate the input. Might be easier to let someone look at it that's experienced I'm just worried about people coming on the property uninvited if word gets around.
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Scott LaBorde




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PostPosted: Mar 27, 2014 15:39    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Justin, after looking at the photos of your specimen it's my opinion that the smooth edges are the result of abrasion weathering from water. In other words it was probably carried there from water. I noticed also that the terrain seems relatively flat in the area you found it. Sediments always distribute towards the direction of lowest elevation and create these flat areas or zones as a result. I not saying that there is always a direct correlation, but that it may be likely you are in a sedimentary zone and that the crystal may have been transported from higher terrain to end up where you found it. That being said, I would assume the source is still relatively nearby. If you could head for the nearest elevation rise (i.e. hill, knoll, prominence) on your property you might find more opportunity to find in situ ground -- earth that is not sedimentary, but original, and would contain quartz veins, or "pockets" that are still intact and in place since their creation. Look for areas on the surface where there is a high(er) occurrence of quartz especially where there are visible outcrops. Once, and if these are found check closely around these areas looking at all pieces of quartz in that area for faces produced by crystallized quartz. Even if you find one face on an ugly rock then it's a good enough sign that crystallization is happening in that area and digging might discover that crystallization gets better as you zero in on the source vein. As with any treasure hunting you could spend hours of work to find nothing. But this is the essence of rockhounding -- where the reward is well worth the effort, but the problem is that it takes a lot of effort and a lot of digging for nothing sometimes.
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PostPosted: Mar 27, 2014 16:13    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Scott, where are you located in NC?
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PostPosted: Mar 27, 2014 18:03    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Raleigh, NC.
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Justin297206913




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PostPosted: Mar 27, 2014 18:23    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

That's a long way from the south Charlotte area. Lol
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PostPosted: Mar 30, 2014 22:22    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

did a little more prospecting this weekend. how am i doing?


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PostPosted: Mar 31, 2014 07:28    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Very impressive. You indeed found crystallization. That vug of crystals is a good sign. When you find something like that you can assume that there will be more vugs nearby. When/if you find a large vug you have the potential of getting some fantastic floaters, double terminated crystals, or completely re-healed specimens that will be a real treat. Good work!
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PostPosted: Mar 31, 2014 08:31    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

The last 2 pictures are the surface rock that is about 5' from where the crystalized rock was found. How does it look from the surface? Is the black a good sign?
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Justin297206913




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PostPosted: Mar 31, 2014 08:49    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Also, with the large rock having crystallization being somewhat surfaced, how deep, generally speaking, would more be?
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vic rzonca




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PostPosted: Mar 31, 2014 08:52    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

Justin297206913 wrote:
The last 2 pictures are the surface rock that is about 5' from where the crystalized rock was found. How does it look from the surface? Is the black a good sign?


Not good, not bad. Miscellaneous oxide stained crack. The white quartz is good. Follow the quartz. Work smart, not hard and be ready to find nothing. Just sayin. Keep us posted, the frost is still thick in the ground around here, good luck.

Vic
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PostPosted: Mar 31, 2014 08:55    Post subject: Re: Digging a little...  

The black is just an iron/manganese oxide and or algae on the rock. The stain is not indicative of anything special. It is difficult to tell if that rock has been moved there or is near in situ. If that rock is near or is part of the source vein and has signs of crystallized vugs on it, then it is a good sign. The rock with the vug you found is definitely a good sign. Any more quartz around where that one came out? If you're curious to find more, I would explore more around where you found the vug.
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