Oxford County, Maine
Coromoto Minerals
The 2004 Season at Mt. Mica
---- May Page 3 -----
Richard poses with the a large tourmaline from pocket 7
Coromoto Minerals
The 2004 Season at Mt. Mica
---- May Page 3 -----
Richard poses with the a large tourmaline from pocket 7
We were now into the 3rd day working this pocket. It continued to
expand. On the left there was a 'tube' that intersected the pocket
about 3 feet from the front. This tube was lined with tenacious
lepidolite that was exceedingly hard to breakup and extract. It was of
a deep purple color. Although this pocket, MMP7-04, was only a dozen
feet or so from the Dagenais pocket of '79 that was filled with crude
quartz
crystals, we had not yet found a single quartz crystal in this one. As we worked, it
appeared that the larger tourmalines were near the top of the pocket
debris heap. Near the bottom, in a layer of cleavelandite and
lepidolite balls, thousands of small elbaites were mixed in. Many of
the small crystals contained pink cores although many of the pink
central zones had disolved away leaving either  a
white or yellow clay in its place. Clays are often the end product of
tourmaline dissolution. Many of the dissolved cores had no clay at all
creating a straw like structure, a totally hollow core. At times, when miners here in Maine have a significant discovery or a pocket about to be opened, fellow miners working other localities are invited to witness the find. Personalities vary of course. All are not so collegial. So on our 3rd day we were joined by Frank Perham's crew and by Ray Sprague from the Emmons mine. These exchanges are valuable as one frequently gets the benefit of other observers and minimizing 'the forest for the trees'. When working a pocket myopia often sets in and other important signs are missed.  Although we did not know it at the time, the pocket was just getting warmed up. However, on this day, it put on a fine showing. Small tourmalines came out in the 100s and occasionally a larger tourmaline was found. Missy Elkins, not in the image at theabove because she was in the pocket digging, hosed the debris away from the face of a large basally terminated tourmaline. This piece, 13 cm across the termination, was, save for the 'Bowling Ball', to be the largest tourmaline to come from pocket 7. Estimates by the participates of the value of the recovered material spiralled , perhaps unrealistically, as each piece came out. It sounded good though. By the end of day three we had another load to wash, sort and de-rust. This was, as one can see, a very rusty pocket. This was no winter wonderland of snow white cleavelandite. Perhaps is was just a cut above mining your septic tank. |
