Fieldtrip Report:
Fieldtrip Report:
Diamond
Hill Mine,
Antreville, S.C.
Documentary Report,
Smoky Amethyst Crystals,
October 21st-November 2005
We spent Monday through Wednesday at the mine with a group of M.A.G.M.A. members, before I get into the report, I want to say that it amazes me that our club, with less than a weeks notice, can setup a fieldtrip to a mine to campout in the middle of the week and have so many members turnout for the trip, truly a dedicated bunch of Rockhounds!.
We began yet another Diamond Hill adventure Monday evening, I arrived at the mine around 8:00 p.m. to find Steve Barr and Tim Barton already at the site, it was raining so we set up the 12' canopy to sit under and built a fire. The next morning many more members began to arrive.
Steve Barr at basecamp.
Shortly afterwards, John D. arrived and brought some of his cleaned amethyst clusters found in the smoky pit.
We all headed to the smoky pit Tuesday morning, the rain had made to lower part of the pit unworkable, but the sides and dumps still had promise, I did not expect to get into the really large smokies 2"-4" range again soon, I had heard through the grapevine that what was coming out the last couple of weeks were nice clusters but considerably smaller and not nearly as dark as the monster smokies we found during the first two weeks of digging. I showed Tim Barton where the best dump material was found, the material that came from the original smoky vein, it was not long before he found a 150 pound "floater" piece covered with huge 2"+ crystals.
Tims rock in his wheelbarrel.
Tims wheelbarrel after putting Tims rock in it.
Ed helping Tim with his rock.
Roseanna, Ed and Miles
