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CFMS FIELD TRIPS – NORTH
FIELD TRIP TO TOPAZ MT. & DUGWAY GEODE BEDS
April 5 – 8, 2012
Trip Information Revised
-
This trip is open to all
rockhounds who agree to abide by the AFMS Code of Ethics, the directions of
the field trip leader and practice safe rockhounding. -
Member’s guests may
attend, but must sign the Risk and Liability Waiver -
Call the field trip
leader beforehand to sign up and for further information. -
Remember to wear your
name badge and sign in with the field trip leader. -
A Consent and
Assumption of Risk Waiver of Liability form must be signed upon
arrival at meeting site..
TRIP LOCATION:
Topaz Mt. and Dugway Geode
Beds, North West of Delta Utah
Vehicle access & parking rating:
Vehicle access &
parking:
#
3 at Topaz Mt. & Dugway geode beds. - Good for most vehicles and RV‘s, no
specific handicap parking at Topaz Mt. and Dugway geode beds.
Collection or View
Site:
From
a # 3 at the base of the Mt. to a # 7 at the Red Beryl site, ½ mile or more
to site, difficult trails and ravines or water crossings. A # 4 at Dugway
geode beds, flat ground, unpaved sections, handicap access with some help.
WHEN:
April 5th through April
8th. This is a repeating site tour; you may show up and leave at any time
during these 4 days. See schedule for optimum arrival dates.
MEMBER'S GUESTS: This is a public
collecting area and anybody may camp and collect at the area concurrent with
our activities. Those who choose to make the escorted trip to the Red Beryl
site and convoy with us to the Dugway Geode Beds must sign the waiver.
COLLECTION MATERIAL: Topaz Crystals, Bixbite (Red Beryl), Pseudobrookite
crystals, Hematite crystals, and Geodes.
LEADER & CONTACT INFO: Please contact ahead of time:
Jim Barton, CFMS-N, Home 916-773-0458, Cell (916) 847-7321, Email
geologist1@surewest.net
REVISED PROPOSED SCHEDULE: Arrive in Delta, UT or camp at “the
entrance to the cove” at Topaz Mt. prior to or on Wednesday, April 4th or
any day after.
The Dugway group dig (led by claim owner) will be on Thursday, 5
April. Cost is $99 per person/all day/100 lbs (less than $1/lb). They need
25 individuals to get reduced price. Please contact me by 2 April
2012 if you are interested at geologist1@surewest.net or (916) 847-7321, to
register for the group dig. Cell service is spotty (text only sometimes) at
Topaz Mountain and I will be traveling on the 3rd and 4th so I can’t
guarantee I will get your messages/voice mail if later than 2 April. Family
Radio Service portable radios will be monitored on Channel 10 no tone (10,
code 0). We will be meeting at 0900 hours on Thursday at the Topaz Mountain
camp site (GPS coordinates) N39.68553 W 113.07751 and drive to Dugway Geode
Beds (about an hour) for the dig. Friday and Saturday will be Topaz
Mountain, with Sunday for a no-fee dig at Dugway Geodes. See message under
Fees at end of writeup. The link shows markers for Topaz Mountain
http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=39.69764,-113.10184&z=15&t=H&marker0=39.69764%2C-113.10184%2C4.0%20km%20SE%20of%20Thomas%20Range%20UT&marker1=39.68546%2C-113.07764%2C6.4%20km%20SE%20of%20Thomas%20Range%20UT
Topaz Mtn. Maps and Coordinates
A – the parking area for 4WD vehicles B – the parking area for non-4WD
vehicles C – camping and meeting area D – turnoff from Brush Highway
(powerhouse) to Topaz Mountain (signs and CFMS pie plate markers)
MEET: I will have a red Toyota Tundra with a pop-up camped at a suitable
location near the entrance to the “cove” of Topaz Mt. Look for the CFMS
North signs at the turn off Hwy 174 and the CFMS Banner in Blue and Gold
letters on the side of the Camper. There should be plenty of locations in
the vicinity for tent, car, and RV camping. Low clearance and large RV’s
should consider checking the road into the site carefully prior to
committing to the less maintained roads at the entrance to the cove. Use of
a tow vehicle (small SUV or ATV) is recommended for large RV’s for the last
leg into the Red Beryl site and out to Dugway.
DIRECTIONS TO SITE/CAMP: General directions are: Catch Highway 50 East from
Sacramento or Fallon, Nevada to Ely, NV. Follow 50/6 East from Ely to Delta,
UT. Turn north on 50 just East of Delta, UT, left on Brush Highway, follow
signs to the Intermountain Powerhouse, a coal fired power plant seen on the
horizon. Turning onto the road to the powerhouse, you will be following a
good paved road for approximately 40 minutes to the entrance to Topaz Mt.
Collection Area, a BLM controlled area. I will stake the dirt roads into the
site with “CFMS”. Those staying in Delta may wish to meet and convoy
together to the “cove”. While it is possible to make the trip from
Sacramento in one day, finding the site, camp, and setting up camp in the
dark are not easy. I recommend you consider leaving very early, stopping off
at the BLM Garnet Hill collecting site just West of Ely, NV and then
overnight in Ely. The next day will get you into Delta with time to refuel
and take a drive out to the cove camp site and check things out.
VEHICLE REQ'S: A high clearance or 4x4 vehicle will save some from a hike to
the base of the mountain at the red beryl site. 2 wheel drive vehicles
should make it to the camp site without problem, and we can shuttle members
to the base if enough high clearance vehicles are available at each tour
start. Make sure you leave Delta with a full tank of gas if you plan on
doing a little exploring or are planning to go to Dugway from the “cove”.
CAMP/FACILITIES: This camp site is primitive. No services of any kind. If
you are going to camp, you will need to be fully self contained and
equipped. National lands rules require that you provide for removing human
waste from public lands and dispose of in approved public facilities. One
solution is to carry heavy duty zip-lock type bags. You should be prepared
to demonstrate for a BLM officer that you are in compliance with some manner
of human waste containment and disposal.
TOOLS: The matrix at Topaz Mt. is a medium to very hard volcanic rhyolite.
Wide and narrow cold chisels, along with a 3 or 4 pound hand sledge are
necessary. A standard rock pick and narrow screwdriver are good for
carefully removing specimens when located; a coat hanger or a stiff wire
with a hook bent on the end also works well. Some of the more serious and
energetic collectors are willing to carry heavy full size sledge hammers and
pry bars. I would recommend that you have them available at the car or the
base of the hill, but take them up only should you find a deposit that would
make it necessary or worth hiking down to get them. Should you uncover a
small pipe of loose “floater” topaz clusters, a wire coat hanger with a
clean end bent into a ½ inch “L” shape is the most effective tool. Red Beryl
(Bixbite), are found with the hand sledge and chisel. As an effective
alternate, using two screens, one 1/4 inch stacked on a one 1/8 inch screen.
Screening the rubble and powder will locate crystals that were lost during
the use of chisels by previous efforts of rock hounds. You can make a screen
set with some device for keeping them together while you shake them, or you
can purchase, self stacking, commercial classifiers from a mining shop.
Digging at Dugway Geode beds would require a standard shovel and garden rake
or hand rake, and rock pick.
Topaz crystals and other specimens are delicate. You may wish to carry a
roll of toilet paper and disposable plastic containers to put them in to
protect them.
SAFETY CONCERNS: There are scorpions, snakes, and other common desert
animals in the area. Common sense should be used when moving rocks or
climbing hills. Do not put your hands where you are not sure that it is
clear of creatures. The weather should be cool, and the snakes and scorpions
should be at a minimum. This is not a resort! The mountain is in a constant
state of erosion and wasting. Rubble and boulders are everywhere. You must
be very aware of those climbing or working up hill from you and be prepared
at any moment to heed their warnings regarding falling rock or rubble. In
turn, you must be very aware of those below you and not cause wasting or
rock slides. Those working in proximity to each other must be aware that
there will be some amount of rock and dust that will eventually fall on you.
You should exercise the option to move if you feel threatened or annoyed by
the activity of other rock hounds. Due to the potential for danger, we will
not be escorting young people under 18 years of age into the Red Beryl area.
Rhyolite dust is primarily silica dust and it would be wise to bring a dust
mask if screening material.
CLIMATE/WEATHER: The weather at Topaz Mt. is rarely perfect! The average
high in April is 65 degrees, with an average low of 33. The record high is
89 and record low is 12. I strongly recommend that you install the weather
channel site on your computer. Check the weather for Delta, UT starting 10
days out, selecting the 10 day forecast. Check the weather each day until
you leave so as to not get caught across the desert in extreme weather. You
may need to alter your arrival or departure date depending on the weather.
Bring firewood for the communal or individual campfires which are usually
permitted and sometimes necessary!
CLOTHING: Weather forecasts will dictate the necessary clothing. The rock
and rubble nature of the site would suggest that you wear full pants and
full covering shoes. A brim hat would help with bright sunlight reflecting
off of the white rhyolite. Layering would help with the change of
temperature as the day goes from cool mornings to hot afternoons. Gloves are
a very good idea, especially when digging.
OTHER REMARKS: If you do not contact the leader with phone and cell phone
numbers, I will not be able to update you if conditions, schedules, or
access changes at the sites. While there is estimated to be 10,000 years of
crystal deposits available at this site at the current rate of digging,
there are no guarantees that you will actually dig one or 200 of any of
these specimens. There is at least one RV Park in Delta, and quite a few
hotel/motels. If you accept the challenge to climb 500-600 feet up the side
of the hill to the red beryl zone, you will want to bring plenty of water
and food to maximize the day there. You will not want to hike down for
lunch!
There are several productive areas closer to the base of the hill for those
who are not prepared to scale the mountain. Clear crystals are fairly
abundant in the washes and ravines. The champagne colored topaz crystals
here are “color centers” and if left in bright light or heated, will turn
clear. For those who want to do some serious digging at this site, I will
recommend the following paperback book:
A FIELD GUIDE TO TOPAZ AND ASSOCIATED MINERALS OF THE THOMAS RANGE (TOPAZ
MOUNTAIN) Volume 1 By John Holfert, Walter Mroch, and Jeremy Fuller HM
Publishing
www.utahmin.com www.gemandmineral.com
This book is inexpensive, but absolutely the best resource on tools,
minerals, sites, maps and photos of the mountain. Last year the book was
available in the local rock shop in Delta.
We will be using Family Radio Service Radios (FRS) on channel 10, no tone
code (or code 0) If you arrive during the day, you may attempt to contact me
on the hillside on the FRS radio. Cell service works somewhat for the
camping site, but don’t rely on it as an absolute (last year Verizon worked
and AT&T didn’t until close to the Powerhouse/Delta). There is cell service
in Delta.
FEES: $99 Fee for Dugway Geodes. The claim owners at Dugway Geode Beds are
offering a discounted fee dig at their claim to CFMS attendees. The group
cost (minimum group of 25) is $99 per person for the entire day, and a
person gets 100 lbs (2 full 5-gallon buckets) of nice material. Others can
dig nearby away from the active claim for free (no guarantee though). They
are also offering 20% off the U-Dig Trilobites (closed Sundays) west of
Delta.
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