SoCal Rockhounds

[Alex Burke]

Came across this today thought some rockhounds may like the info. I believe it's public but check permissions.
View attachment CorundumofCascadeCanyon.kml
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=...302160509418778244.0004886bafe1879f0d76e&z=16
Cascade Canyon, San Antonio Canyon, San Gabriel Mts, San Bernardino Co., California, USA

 

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[angelus2k5]

very interesting! are there any that are worthy of being cut and polished or are they more for just collecting?

 

[Alex Burke]

Mostly just for collecting but still have some value to the right collector, they have some samples from there in LA natural history museum I think. If you found some like this you could sell them to a collector. Thanks for replying, I almost forgot i made this thread, lol. Let us know if you go and find anything. http://www.mindat.org/photo-249359.html
The Lapis Lazuli is always popular with collectors too and looks amazing http://www.mindat.org/photo-368640.html

 

[angelus2k5]

i live maybe 15 minutes from there. ill drop in and see if i find anything worth while. i am a novice at rock hunting so im not too sure what to look for but i guess it goes without saying that i should hold onto anything that looks like a crystal lol.

 

[Alex Burke]

Look in a north south direction (bring a compass hammer chisel/long flathead, goggles)at the spots where the granite comes up through the limestone. The lapis will be in limestone in veins running east west and the corundum and ruby would be at the intersection of the limestone and granite going NS but most likely be in washes so look in creeks wet or dry below the outcrop. Good luck for safety maybe take a friend its says its steep valley and watch for snakes too possibly.

 

[angelus2k5]

So I went out there and was not able to reach the main section that was indicated however I did find several small samples. Here's a pic of one of the more promising sample.




The dark red sections have a nice shine. If it wasn't for my fear of snakes and brush coming up to your waist I'm sure I would have been able to reach The indicated section and found even better samples. Keep in mind this was just on the dirt path on the way there.

 

[Alex Burke]

You found ruby in the matrix I think. Good job, it's in the same family as sapphire they're both corundum only diamond and moissanite are harder. Are you going back with a machete and a snake bite kit

 

[angelus2k5]

that and an ounce more of courage. it really gets your heart pumping knowing you hold a precious stone in your hand. now if they could be the size of a golf ball i might just have a heart attack lol. i will return and hopefully this time i find a better way to the indicated area. i was reluctant to go into that brush because i notice alot of signs that skunks roam that area and really didnt feel like getting sprayed. of course the possibilities of snakes put me off too but worse than that was the really thick cobwebs i noticed amongst the brush and pretty much anyware else a spider would make camp. not sure how big they were but those spider webs suggested bigger than i want to run into.

 

[Alex Burke]

Haha you will have to summon your inner Indiana Jones skills and your Chuck Norris courage, I know how you feel it's an addictive thing hunting gold and gems and never easy; it's not even the monetary value really it's more the rarity and challenge to many people who do the field work finding them.

 

[angelus2k5]

Haha you will have to summon your inner Indiana Jones skills and your Chuck Norris courage, I know how you feel it's an addictive thing hunting gold and gems and never easy; it's not even the monetary value really it's more the rarity and challenge to many people who do the field work finding them.

funny you should mention doctor jones because i have in my car(the same car i took when i went) an indiana jones hat from disney land. that settles it i must get back there again so i dont bring shame to that noble symbol of adventure. now if only i could get my hands on a bull whip in case of bears lol.

 

[Alex Burke]

Haha yes, sometimes I find it helps to have the Indiana hat, it seems to have a disarming quality in random situations I swear, I guess because armed robbers and bandits never wear one? I never thought about it until now lol. Hard to tell but I'm wearing one in my profile pic.

 

[angelus2k5]

Haha yes, sometimes I find it helps to have the Indiana hat, it seems to have a disarming quality in random situations I swear, I guess because armed robbers and bandits never wear one? I never thought about it until now lol. Hard to tell but I'm wearing one in my profile pic.

well for the both of us i have to get out there again. if it wasnt for the fact that i am remodeling my master bath id go this weekend but unfortunately and fortunately for me my replacement window came in and i should be putting that in this weekend. maybe ill go there labor day weekend as ill have a 4 day weekend.

 

[MrLee]

Angelus and everyone else, here is a sample I have from there. Rubies & Sapphires 5mm in width! This was one of the better rocks I cracked open. I have about 4 more pieces like this. My previous trip produced only very small corundum, but lots of it. I believe there is some quality material there, just far and few.

There are boulders the size of a VW with this material from an old rock slide. The vein is high above the river. I'd like to hike up there with someone soon, before it gets too hot. The Lapis is hard to find, but I've heard that the lapis vein is up with the corundum vein.

 

[angelus2k5]

Angelus and everyone else, here is a sample I have from there. Rubies & Sapphires 5mm in width! This was one of the better rocks I cracked open. I have about 4 more pieces like this. My previous trip produced only very small corundum, but lots of it. I believe there is some quality material there, just far and few.

There are boulders the size of a VW with this material from an old rock slide. The vein is high above the river. I'd like to hike up there with someone soon, before it gets too hot. The Lapis is hard to find, but I've heard that the lapis vein is up with the corundum vein.

View attachment 942998 View attachment 942999 View attachment 943000

Wow color me green with envy! those are some very promising samples. when i went up there i went with my wife so i was a little more concerned with her safety than finding samples. after stumbling around we realized that the target location was not reachable due to high brush and perfect conditions for snakes. now that its cold i would assume its the right time for heading out again. maybe i can convince her to go again lol.

 

[MrLee]

There are several paths to get to the slide. I chose the right one going there, the wrong one back. I ended up falling in some serious overgrowth trying to cross a fallen tree. I didn't get hurt, but got a scare cause you never know what's lurking down there.

The path of least resistance starts at a big clearing with some old mining foundations. Pretty easy to find near the end of the trail. From there you cross over the river and you will see the boulders. Follow the trail south and you will get to the slide area. This is what the south area slide looks like.

 

[angelus2k5]

There are several paths to get to the slide. I chose the right one going there, the wrong one back. I ended up falling in some serious overgrowth trying to cross a fallen tree. I didn't get hurt, but got a scare cause you never know what's lurking down there.

The path of least resistance starts at a big clearing with some old mining foundations. Pretty easy to find near the end of the trail. From there you cross over the river and you will see the boulders. Follow the trail south and you will get to the slide area. This is what the south area slide looks like.
View attachment 943552

the big clearing you refer to is covered very well by trees isnt it? if so thats exactly where i was. i crossed the river just north of that old foundation by stone stepping(the "river" was more of a stream as it wasnt high at all maybe calf high but i didnt want wet socks lol). after i got across i found some boulders that are a bright rust color. at that point the brush became too thick along with fallen trees branches that block the way. so i backtracked and went through the foundation from the north. now that i think about it i did something rather dumb and jumped down to a leaf covered clearing( i think its a dumb move as i could have startled a rattler or almost as bad a skunk as there were several little holes in the ground as if a skunk had been there digging in the ground for some food as the holes appeared to be fresh.). once we were in the clearing i noticed that the stream widens and there were no good spots to cross. i believe that the best way to cross to the specified area would be to cross near where the paved road curves to the right. at that point the stream should be low so as to stay dry and there shouldnt be much brush.

 

[Tree!]

I definitely want to go check this out very soon!

 

[angelus2k5]

I definitely want to go check this out very soon!

good luck and well wishes! i dont recommend going alone as the trek down is steep(even though its paved) and you can never be too carefull when it comes to wildlife. keep in mind that this canyon does a good job of blocking most cell phone signals. i know that there are bears in this area as ive heard stories from trusted friends who hike this area often and according to wildlife reports there are supposedly big horned sheep in these mountains also. if i had the prospect of a four day weekend i would definately try to set up a little group expedition but that doesnt look likely for now. if you do go make sure to take lots of pics of your finds or anything of interest.

 

[Tree!]

good luck and well wishes! i dont recommend going alone as the trek down is steep(even though its paved) and you can never be too carefull when it comes to wildlife. keep in mind that this canyon does a good job of blocking most cell phone signals. i know that there are bears in this area as ive heard stories from trusted friends who hike this area often and according to wildlife reports there are supposedly big horned sheep in these mountains also. if i had the prospect of a four day weekend i would definately try to set up a little group expedition but that doesnt look likely for now. if you do go make sure to take lots of pics of your finds or anything of interest.

Now, the good stuff is in the upper portion of the canyon, correct?
I want to find some Lapis. I planned this one very poorly and was treated as such by the trip haha.
I walked up the truck trail from Barrett canyon and just dug around a granite outcropping.
I wanted to try and follow the creek up and see if I could find any evidence of where I should go, but I was laking any energy so I had to leave early.

But here's what I did find...

 

[angelus2k5]

Now, the good stuff is in the upper portion of the canyon, correct?
I want to find some Lapis. I planned this one very poorly and was treated as such by the trip haha.
I walked up the truck trail from Barrett canyon and just dug around a granite outcropping.
I wanted to try and follow the creek up and see if I could find any evidence of where I should go, but I was laking any energy so I had to leave early.

But here's what I did find...

not too bad considering the trip went bad. according to the other posts better material is up higher but reaching it should prove difficult. couldnt help but get chills from hanging out at the site where the old foundation is. got to get back there again someday.