Smoky Quartz with included spessartine garnets
I have a claim on a pegmatite in the southeastern portion of San Diego County. The dikes outcrop on the top of a small hill that overlooks the Carrizo Gorge, site of the "Impossible Railroad." The dikes dip very gently to the west and range in thickness from a few inches to a couple of yards. The main minerals of the dike are microcline, albite, quartz, muscovite, and schorl; with minor amounts of spessartine, lithian muscovite, and beryl.
I have found numerous small vugs but only one
decent pocket.
That pocket produced several large smoky quartz crystals (about
6" x 4"),
one pale blue-green aquamarine that grew against the side of one
of the
large smokies (the aqua was about 1.5" x 0.75"), several smaller
non-smoky
quartz crystals and a few smoky quartz crystals with included
spessartines.
They are probably the most interesting specimens. A couple
of them
were doubly-terminated and included dozens of 1-2 mm
spessartines.
These quartz crystals range from 1 to 4 inches long. My
favorite
specimen consists of two smoky quartz crystals about 2 inches
long, welded
together by a schorl that is inclined about 30 degrees to their
long axis.
These quartz crystals also have many included spessartines,
including some
that breach the surface.
Smoky Quartz with included spessartine garnets
Aquamarine
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Any questions or comments? Please send them to Jim Means