Diamond Ore Specimens

[Red_desert]

I just want to share some photos of Lamproite specimens, hard enough to slice, the type you see on the Internet cut & polished slices for $30-$36 which can fit into a 2x2" plastic holder. The Crater of Diamonds state park was packed out when I arrived Oct 19, they gave me an extra day, had booked for Oct 20-Nov 3.

I went into the SW corner of the park mine field to get away from the people. Got out my GPS to check a dowsing hit done on GE maps before leaving for Arkansas. The spot was about 269 ft NW from me. My rods picked up a signal the same direction. Another GPAA member came by before moving toward the spot. We were chatting a while....he mentioned a wash out one time, leaving a vein exposed of this unknown type of rock. Later after locating the spot by GPS, that same guy ended up there too. He dug down, found the vein. It looked like the rock I'd taken in a couple small chunks to the geologists earlier that day called Lamproite, a volcanic rock that supplies the mine field with diamonds. Turned on my GPS, it started beeping. The vein was the exact spot as the dowsed coordinates, done by map dowsing at home. I picked up on the vein to follow it with the rods.

Later, the older lady geologist said, showed me a recent geological survey, they found 2 after eruptions where 2 extra diamond pipes were formed in the hill area. She showed me on a map, how the south diamond pipe has a reef, comes into the SW part of the diamond field.

[Red_desert]

Close ups of the mineral surfaces. Lamproite ore is ultra "potassic" meaning it contains more potassium than this type of rock usually does. Diamond pipes are Kimberlite/Lamproite, types of Peridotite. Lamproite starts to weather, become soft after brought to the surface, then going through the winter. Mining operation there took ore making piles to weather. Stirring the ore piles to break it up, rather than crushing.

[Red_desert]

Here is the weathered ore they would stir for diamonds.

[Red_desert]

There was a 5 lb. specimen of cutting grade Lamproite which wasn't in the photos. It got set down around a doorway corner while unloading my car after the trip. Most pieces have flat edges except where fractured. So, this is smooth one photo, broken edge showing (opposite side) in the other pic. Then extreme close ups, smooth & fractured surfaces. The crater area volcano, is know as the "Prairie Creek" volcano, sometimes you see ore specimens "Prairie Creek Lamproite" on the Internet.

[Red_desert]

Excellent find, Red

Good dowsing!

Yes JudyH, it was nice finding a vein of ore, but being a state park which doesn't allow motorized mining equipment.....I realize that they would never allow someone to put in a mine shaft.

[Red_desert]

I've had other treasure hunters rell me, that if you find volcanic ash, it is a good spot to search. Well, I found a spot along the ore vein which had some large flat volcanic tuff rocks. The volcanic ash settles after an eruption, forming a layer of ash. I kept one because it looked just like the diamond on playing cards. A close up photo on the edge of a different much smaller piece of tuff also (dime photo) to see the texture of the rock.

[Red_desert]

How far from the boundaries of the state park is this vein located? And who owns the adjacent property?

The adjacent property to the park mine field is state park also, it has the prospector trail for hiking....but no mining activity permitted outside the mine field boundry. The place the vein had been exposed during a previous wash out is close to the woods, between the gully there and the woods. They keep pushing dirt back over, to keep it covered up. Apparently at times the vein gets scraped during the cover up, the chunks first found when I was trying to locate my map dowsed spot with the GPS coordinates. The GPAA member who dug the hole said during the wash out you could see the vein runs in a SE direction into the field. He hit the vein after digging nearly 2 ft down, it must be at least 9-12 ft wide on the top of vein.

[Red_desert]

Rats. I'd still do a little recon on the area, though.

"Later, the older lady geologist said, showed me a recent geological survey, they found 2 after eruptions where 2 extra diamond pipes were formed in the hill area. She showed me on a map, how the south diamond pipe has a reef, comes into the SW part of the diamond field"

Might be some potential to be found here.

I drove a car for the trip, a Pontiac Grand Prix, you know after packing all the gear, stuff for to take along, limited space then to haul ore back home. The park only lets you book for 14 days, they gave me 1 extra because of arriving the evening before start day. I always found more, 20 minutes to fill up a large gold pan. New rules concerning filling in holes, the field closes at 5:00 now. I suppose eventually the amount you could recover would decrease, but how many truck loads or flatbed trailer loads, don't know....without using dynamite, heavy equipment, you're going to run out of ore sooner or later.

[Red_desert]

Here is the GE map with the coordinates left on it. Then a topo map, a park map with arrows from the 2 panning shelters that have water. The X with arrow shows direction the vein runs. The flag Am-C1a is the dowsing hit where the vein enters search field. I could walk from either panning shelter to reach the spot. Included is a geology map which isn't updated yet, new surveys are still being done at volcano sites using new technology. Arrow from West Hill which is the south after eruption, diamond pipe recently discovered.

[Red_desert]

Where you see the red X, there are 2 trees, the Lamproite vein comes through south side of edge of trees.


Someone between the 2 trees and where the furrows stop, dumped their tailing piles. Spreading out for searching, looked like it had rained on them at least a couple times. In the tailing pile found some better looking jasper that weren't pitted or with folding cracks. Also in the same tailing pile, found 22 of the agates which are flat, formed with color in them from sandstone. I have a post over in the Rocks/Gemstone board showing close ups of the Murfreesboro agates.


The blue grid is 1 inch square.

[Red_desert]

Now for some of the jasper found around where the vein enters the mine field, close to locations along the vein, the spots I collected the ore. These jasper specimens seem more like agate than jasper, but both are a form of cryptocrystalline quartz.


While some may look on the surface like a quartz rock, others just as jasper stones normally do oily, but inside can be very different, a mixture of colors or very translucent.


If cut I think these stones could make some interesting cabochons.


Since I don't have rock cutting & polishing equipment, so left some nice ones behind in the field.


So many variations of color patterns.


Have to clean them up first, to see what you have, then often surprising differences show up.


A luster surface on this one.

[Red_desert]

More jasper from the same location.


This black as polished black onyx, jasper reflects dime on edge (oval shape) even though it was photographed on an overcast day.


More specimens...


Had to take a good look to make sure it wasn't amethyst. There is an amethyst bed close to the vein also....but is a jasper with the inside color, similar to that deep purple amethyst.


I like jasper, usually spend to much time checking out the stones.


Think opaque red mixed with blackish red type of stone.


The less experienced crater geologist though this was agate, but the other ones more experienced, said was jasper.

[10claw]

some of the smaller ones would sure make beautiful tie tacks.

[Red_desert]

some of the smaller ones would sure make beautiful tie tacks.

If a person did rock, gem cutting & polishing as a hobby....I'm sure there could be all kinds of uses, in jewelry making.

[EagleDown]

If a person did rock, gem cutting & polishing as a hobby....I'm sure there could be all kinds of uses, in jewelry making.

Which I do. Though I work primarily with turquoise and precious opal, I do occasionally dabble in
jasper, jadite, tiger-eye, agate, and even carve a little alabaster.

Thanks Red_desert! Your thread just answered a question I've had for years.

The last time I was there, being occupied with my 2 kids, I forgot to stop in the office to ask about a
thumb sized amethyst crystal I found, down the hill towards the river. I finally decided that a tourist
had lost it, (just to end the mystery).

A little segue: Back in (about) 1962, I was doing some research on a lost coin cache when I stumbled
on a hand written surveyers journal from the early 19th century. It piqued my interest when I read one
entry that went something like this; "As we navigated a bend in the river, on the East bank, the rivers
flow has cut into a small bluff exposing the eluvial it was comprised of. I would suggest that this bluff
warrants later study, due to what appeared to be large quantities of Kimberlite".

Sorry, but the years have faded the memories of the surveyer's/engineer's name. But, I was interested
enough to check on the river they were surveying, since gold dredging is similar to dredging for diamonds. Unfortunately, I lived far enough away that I never checked on whether I could dredge in
the river just below Diamond Crater. I just enjoyed dreaming about what might be found in, what could be, virgin territory. Oh, I think the name of the river was the Little Missouri River.

Like the thread.

Eagle

[Red_desert]

Yeah, a prospector from Brazil recently told me, that there is diamond dredging going on in a river close to him. Investors are involved, so they get the biggest chunk of profit. Riight now Brazil is listed as the #1 diamond producing geology in the world....even bigger than South Africa. Yes, from what I've heard , dredging in rivers that drain kimberlite/lamproite areas, will produce diamonds. You had the right idea, but never were able to try it.

[tinpan]

Yeah, a prospector from Brazil recently told me, that there is diamond dredging going on in a river close to him. Investors are involved, so they get the biggest chunk of profit. Riight now Brazil is listed as the #1 diamond producing geology in the world....even bigger than South Africa. Yes, from what I've heard , dredging in rivers that drain kimberlite/lamproite areas, will produce diamonds. You had the right idea, but never were able to try it.

South Africa is 4th biggest and Brazil doen,t even make the top 10 list. Fact The top 10 countries list has not changed for 4 years . Only the order of a few of these 10 countries.

tinpan

[Red_desert]

Yeah, a prospector from Brazil recently told me, that there is diamond dredging going on in a river close to him. Investors are involved, so they get the biggest chunk of profit. Riight now Brazil is listed as the #1 diamond producing geology in the world....even bigger than South Africa. Yes, from what I've heard , dredging in rivers that drain kimberlite/lamproite areas, will produce diamonds. You had the right idea, but never were able to try it.

South Africa is 4th biggest and Brazil doen,t even make the top 10 list. Fact The top 10 countries list has not changed for 4 years . Only the order of a few of these 10 countries.

tinpan

I was just quoting what I've read on one website, have not been able to locate the site again. It wasn't listed as #1 in production, but the size of the area containing the geology which produced diamond pipes is supposed to be the largest. I within the past 2 days, had another T-Net member from Brazil also, tell me diamond dredging is going on near him too. He doesn't think Brazil will ever be bigger than South Africa in production. The untouched potential in Brazil well, I don't live there....haven't really done a detailed study on it's geology myself.

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

RD &, tinker keep posting, love it. Incidentaly there is a spot near Tayopa that has aroused my intererst for this type of mining. A possible pipe ?

Don Jose de La Mancha

[21stTNCav]

I have enjoyed reading your post Red. Thanks!!!