State

A Gem State North Carolina, with more than 300 different recognized minerals, offers plenty to keep serious and casual rockhounds busy. By Steve Adams Because of a diverse geography with enough minerals and gem¬ stones to keep even the most ardent geologist bus)’ for a lifetime, it's easy to see why North Carolina has come to Ik- known as “Variety Vacationland." The term is much more than just anoth¬ er promotional slogan when applied to the Old North State and its many resources. One ol the resources, our abundant supply of gems and minerals, can make life easy for rock collectors. Few states, in fact, can match our roster of more than 300 different recognized min¬ erals. Included are gold, platinum and such gems as ruby, emerald, sapphire, amethyst and aquamarine. .•Vs a serious collector and geology stu¬ dent. I have found most of these in our state, and so can you. Or you may find the various non-gemstone minerals that occur in beautiful crystal specimens prized by collectors (and sometimes of considerable worth). The more serious collectors may seek some of the stale’s remote rarities — some not Ion nd anywhere else in the ПюКяЬуКпт \dum This 300<arat ruby, discovered by Pete Hyrminen of Georgia, was found at a mine near Franklin. world — such as “kingsmountite.- named for the town of Kings Mountain. The three geographic regions of the state- cor¬ respond crudely to four different geologic environments (two in the Piedmont). Each has distinctive opportunities lor the collector. Coastal Plain With its sedimentary rock, the Coastal Plain contains a wealth of fossils. Feeding the fossil allure are potential finds of |h-i- rified wood, shark teeth and bones of mastodons, sabre-toothed tigers, whales, phytosaurs and plesiosaurs. Mining op¬ erations at the communities of Aurora in Beaufort County and Castle Hayne in New I lanover County have exposed prodigious quantities of fossils. The Piedmont — Carolina Slate Belt Almost all of the gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and tungsten mined in North Carolina has been in that of rocks in the Carolina Slate Belt. Abandoned mines have produced many unusual minerals, but are on private property and typically dangerous. Gold panning and digging for quartz crystals are the most popular col¬ lecting activities in the area. Gobi panning is legal anywhere in Uwharrie National Forest, and the abandoned quart/ quar- Thc Statc/Novc mber 1994 28 ties here offer legal collecting for crystals in spite of recent legislative threats. An abandoned quarry at the end of Uwhar¬ rie River Road Ii;ls produced choice crys¬ tals of the rare mineral anatase. which has been attached to larger quartz crystals. The first authentic discovery of gold in North Carolina was found in this area in 1799. A golden rock retrieved from a creek by 12-ycar-old Conrad Reed was used by bis family as a doorstop until 1 802. That same year, the father. John Reed, sold the stone to a Fayetteville jeweler for $3.50. After learning the real value of die 17-pound gold nugget, be grabbed bis rifle and returned to Fayetteville. I le came home with $3,000. 'Пн- Reed Gold Mine became an extensive operation and is now preserved as a state historic site in Cabar¬ rus County. This park near Concord is a must visit, with a fine museum, restored buildings and a free tour of the under¬ ground mine tunnels. Gold panning on a fee basis has been popular for many years at the Cotton Patch Mine near New London in north¬ ern Stanly County, but that property was recently put up for sale. Another fee-based access currently operates nearby on the same stream. Many Slate Belt streams offer good gold panning potential, although permission must Ы- obtained from property owners.