FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[dimrub]

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.

[Peter]

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

[Matt_Zukowski]

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

[Pierre Joubert]

I have always wondered whether there are any nice specimens to be found in the Negev.

[alfredo]

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.

[Peter]

Thank you! Sorry!!!
I should use my reading glasses, especially using the phone!

[Matt_Zukowski]

Peter - it was an easy mistake - I first misread the post as referring to Benitoite.

[alfredo]

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

[dimrub]

[Ethan Engel]

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

[vadim]

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.

[Gali Bondoc]

[vadim]

[Gali Bondoc]

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 😅

[Gali Bondoc]

[vadim]

[Gali Bondoc]

[alfredo]

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.

[vadim]

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:)