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Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed
  
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dimrub




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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 03:03    Post subject: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Hi folks!

In continuation to my previous post, one very good advice given there was to look for rockhounding opportunities close to home. Indeed, having searched the web for a while, I've discovered that there are some very nice minerals peculiar to Israel (including some only to be found here - Bentorite for example). It appears that the area near the city of Arad is full of promise, but having no experience in this area, I wouldn't want to just plunge in. So if someone here has been there, and can give tips, or knows someone local who can show us around and tell us where to start looking that would be most appreciated.
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Peter




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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 11:19    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Bentonite is a typical clay found in many places. I do not know this region except for well known Timna mines and graphic granite
Peter
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Matt_Zukowski
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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 11:37    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

The OP was referring to Bentorite, the Cr(III) analogue of Ettringite, not bentonite, the clay mineral.
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Pierre Joubert




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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 12:18    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

I have always wondered whether there are any nice specimens to be found in the Negev.
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alfredo
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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 13:50    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

There are traces of low-quality secondary copper minerals around the area promoted to tourists as "King Solomon's mines". But considering the thousands of years of mining in the area, it is unreasonable to expect any rich bits of ore to just be laying around collectable on the surface. So be aware that the "King Solomon's mines" chrysocolla/malachite/azurite pieces in gift shops are mostly imported from the Morenci mine in Arizona, or from Mexico, Peru, Congo... not Israel. The same scam foisted onto tourists all over the world.

Micromounters can find very interesting rare minerals in the Hatrurim Formation - https://www.mindat.org/loc-2063.html - type locality for a dozen species, like the bentorite referred to in a previous post, but Israel doesn't offer much for collectors of macroscopic specimens - some gypsum, halite, chalcedony... nothing too exciting.
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Peter




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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 14:00    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Thank you! Sorry!!!
I should use my reading glasses, especially using the phone!
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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 15:52    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Peter - it was an easy mistake - I first misread the post as referring to Benitoite.
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alfredo
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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 17:32    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Many old mineral books list benitoite as occuring in Texas, which was one guy's misreading of bentonite, subsequently uncritically copied by later authors. ;))
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dimrub




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PostPosted: Jul 16, 2017 23:35    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

alfredo wrote:
Micromounters can find very interesting rare minerals in the Hatrurim Formation - https://www.mindat.org/loc-2063.html - type locality for a dozen species, like the bentorite referred to in a previous post, but Israel doesn't offer much for collectors of macroscopic specimens - some gypsum, halite, chalcedony... nothing too exciting.


Hey Alfredo! Unfortunately, we're such beginners, my son and myself, that I don't even know who micromounters are. I've read about the Hatrurim Formation and it sounds an interesting place, but how do we get there? Apparently, there's an intersection of this name on road 31, south of Arad, but somehow stopping at the junction and starting looking for minerals off the road doesn't sound like a very promising plan.
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Ethan Engel




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PostPosted: Dec 22, 2020 09:08    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Hey dimrub, my name is Ethan (Eitan), I’m a 13 year old from the Israel center area. I’ve been looking for a rockhound in Israel for months now, it’s so nice to finally find someone! Does your son like rockhounding too? Anyways, did you find any spots yet? I only found some little quartz crystal clusters near Jerusalem, I’m trying to find bigger ones there but I can’t go there a lot. Can I have your number? Last time I met a rockhound (the only time I did) they left the area and now I can’t reach them. If you don’t feel like it just ignore it. It’s Just for updates in case Me or you find something, and then the forum closes or something. If you know of a spot please reply to me. What is the hatrurim place you mentioned?
Just know I saw this is from 3 years ago. This means two things, you might not reply and if you do, you might have some good spots. I gotta hope for the best
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vadim




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PostPosted: Jul 26, 2022 05:52    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Hello Eitan. Not sure it's still relevant for you (two years passed) but there are some spots in Israel. Gypsum, Sulphur, garnets, dendrites, [poor] copper minerals, calcite, white quartz, pyrite, halite (salt), magnetite -- that's what I found myself. Galena, fluorite, barite, staurolite, olivine, apatite, rare earth minerals -- were reported but I never found them.
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Gali Bondoc




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PostPosted: Dec 09, 2022 20:29    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

vadim wrote:
Hello Eitan. Not sure it's still relevant for you (two years passed) but there are some spots in Israel. Gypsum, Sulphur, garnets, dendrites, [poor] copper minerals, calcite, white quartz, pyrite, halite (salt), magnetite -- that's what I found myself. Galena, fluorite, barite, staurolite, olivine, apatite, rare earth minerals -- were reported but I never found them.


It's been a while, but mind if I butt in? I'm also looking for someplace to go rockhounding at the end of the month, but there aren't many (if any) resources on the topic in Hebrew or about Israel.
Can you share a couple rivers, streams and the like? I am looking at the northern part of the country :)
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vadim




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PostPosted: Dec 11, 2022 05:17    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Gali Bondoc wrote:
[It's been a while, but mind if I butt in? I'm also looking for someplace to go rockhounding at the end of the month, but there aren't many (if any) resources on the topic in Hebrew or about Israel.
Can you share a couple rivers, streams and the like? I am looking at the northern part of the country :)


Well, there are not much rockhounding options in the North...

Quarz geodes were reported on Meron mountain and other Galilee places.

https://goo.gl/maps/r5zNujwtkxpjmJGv8
(link normalized by FMF)

on the slopes of the tuff hills you can find poor quality garnets - opaque, dark brown almost black.
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Gali Bondoc




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PostPosted: Dec 11, 2022 11:38    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Oh, I see. I heard that there was a mine somewhere at the Kison River where they found quite a bit of stuff.
How about the southern part? I can pretty much go anywhere, honestly, but preferably not farther than Be'er Sheva 😅
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Gali Bondoc




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PostPosted: Dec 12, 2022 03:03    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

vadim wrote:
Gali Bondoc wrote:
[It's been a while, but mind if I butt in? I'm also looking for someplace to go rockhounding at the end of the month, but there aren't many (if any) resources on the topic in Hebrew or about Israel.
Can you share a couple rivers, streams and the like? I am looking at the northern part of the country :)


Well, there are not much rockhounding options in the North...

Quarz geodes were reported on Meron mountain and other Galilee places.

<map>

on the slopes of the tuff hills you can find poor quality garnets - opaque, dark brown almost black.


after looking quite a bit more, the Carmel mountain area and Kishon river are most often mentioned when it comes to a wide variety of gemstones. is this not true?
https://www.mindat.org/loc-260089.html
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vadim




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PostPosted: Dec 12, 2022 09:38    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Gali Bondoc wrote:

after looking quite a bit more, the Carmel mountain area and Kishon river are most often mentioned when it comes to a wide variety of gemstones. is this not true?
https://www.mindat.org/loc-260089.html


Well all the talks about Carmel and Kishon gemstones originate from the company "Shefa Yamim" (check the internet) which mined in these hopeless regions so desperately that eventually found -- microscopic specimens of some gemstones. Your chances to find there something interesting are infinitesimal. Ok, I found some garnets near Yokneam but it is not worth: https://youtube.com/shorts/76F73bjmUTg

Regarding the southern regions, the most interesting are Eilat mountains and Makhtesh Ramon. Near Dead Sea I found sulfur, gypsum. Baryte is reported near Arad.
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Gali Bondoc




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PostPosted: Dec 12, 2022 14:00    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

vadim wrote:
Gali Bondoc wrote:

after looking quite a bit more, the Carmel mountain area and Kishon river are most often mentioned when it comes to a wide variety of gemstones. is this not true?
https://www.mindat.org/loc-260089.html


Well all the talks about Carmel and Kishon gemstones originate from the company "Shefa Yamim" (check the internet) which mined in these hopeless regions so desperately that eventually found -- microscopic specimens of some gemstones. Your chances to find there something interesting are infinitesimal. Ok, I found some garnets near Yokneam but it is not worth: https://youtube.com/shorts/76F73bjmUTg

Regarding the southern regions, the most interesting are Eilat mountains and Makhtesh Ramon. Near Dead Sea I found sulfur, gypsum. Baryte is reported near Arad.


Oh, I see. Well, I don't think we will go mining anything... So is it a waste of time trying rivers? I am not looking for anything grand, but it'd be nice to find some pretty stones :)
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alfredo
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PostPosted: Dec 12, 2022 19:44    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Chalcedony/Quartz nodules are abundant on some parts of the slopes of Mt Meron, looking like cauliflower on the outside, occasionally with hollow centers. Nothing terribly exciting.


Meron.jpeg
 Mineral: chalcedony
 Locality:
Israel
 Dimensions: 9cm
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 Viewed:  27011 Time(s)

Meron.jpeg


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vadim




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PostPosted: Dec 13, 2022 08:25    Post subject: Re: Rockhounding in Israel - contact needed  

Yes, on Mt. Meron and other Northern Galilee mountains you can find a lot of such geodes. I cracked some of them -- all were fully solid inside, not beautiful crystals :)

I think you can find something interesing there only by chance... So just enjoy nature and wonderful sights of Galilean pseudo-autumn:)
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