Field Trip Report:
New England Written by: Steve Bonney Following much planning and tremendous anticipation three MAGMA members made their way north to Maine for a week of rockhounding in Maine. Everyone’s schedule was a little different so the trip started in different ways for all of us. Lawrence Davis spent a day at the Simpson Quarry in Connecticut along the way and found this torbernite specimen.
Lawrence also made the long and steep climb to the Harvard Quarry on Noyes Mountain in Greenwood, Maine prior to checking in at the Poland Mining Camp. The dumps are even steeper than the climb to the quarry. The views aren’t too shabby.
My Maine adventure started at Mt. Apatite Park in Auburn, Maine, home to the Maine Feldspar Quarry and Greenlaw Quarry. These quarries are open to the public and a good destination prior to checking into the nearby Poland Mining Camp.
Terminated Columbite, Maine Feldspar Quarry
Gene Jeffers at the Hole in the Ground Quarry, our first destination together at Poland Mining Camp.
Lawrence works the Hole n the Ground, no pun intended.
Hole in the Ground almandine
Nice Hole in the Ground gahnite found by Lawrence. On day two the four-wheel drive came in handy on the way to a personal favorite, the Emmons Quarry in Greenwood, Maine. The Emmons Quarry is a prolific producer of apatite and many much rarer minerals. Gene took some time to pound away at the wall in search of pockets.
Lawrence works on an Emmons Quarry boulder.
Beryl, Emmons Quarry
Apatite on albite, Emmons Quarry
Apatite on albite, Emmons Quarry On day three we collected at Scribner Ledge in Albany, Maine. This simple pegmatite is best known for its beryl and rose quartz. |
