Tag: Gem and Mineral

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Fossil Site at Blue Beach

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A fossil site open to the public can be elusive to find. You may be at the fossil site per all accounts, but should no fossils turn up, then your consolation is a nice day outdoors and getting some sun. My experience with a fossil site stems back to the ten years I lived in Texas. A site north of Galveston, on the Bolivar Peninsula was a crude, undeveloped, and open beach called McFaddin Beach. The coast had extended much further out into the Gulf of Mexico, and after a storm, or if you were lucky after a tide cycle, Pleistocene bones (bison, ancient horse, giant beaver, prehistoric fish) would wash up along with the rare Clovis Point. I had the pleasure of walking the beach 3 times, and every time swore I would go about it better the next time I went fossil hunting.
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Rockhound Sites in North Carolina


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My lady friend’s sister’s husband, got that, is a big supporter of American Geode. Their 2 kids were the first youngsters with American Geode t-shirts. When he mentioned in passing however over Christmas that his grandfather was a geologist, and he kept a journal of all the rockhound sites he rockhounded and mined, I interrupted Christmas supper with an “Excuse me, we are going to run an errand,” proceeded to go back to their home, rifled through an upstairs closet, found the journal, and while the rest of the family was watching “It’s a Wonderful Life,” I was studying and reviewing this geologist’s journal.
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Gem and Mineral Hall at Indiana State Museum

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The Gem and Mineral section of the Indiana State Museum is a must see for any rockhound, geologist, teacher, student, and anyone interested in the earth sciences or interested in the wonders of the state of Indiana.
What impressed me most was the variety of gem and minerals that had been discovered in Indiana. And I am even a Hoosier! I learned how calcite was found to the degree it was dubbed “Indiana calcite.” One of the most spectacular specimens is a giant calcite crystal beside which I am standing. Some of the other calcite crystals were found near Indianapolis as well.
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EFMLS Convention 2015


For the most up to date events, check out our Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Newswire.

Keep your eye on this entry as we make our plan to attend the EFMLS Convention, March 27-29, 2015 in
Hickory, North Carolina. The Catawba Valley Gem & Mineral Club is hosting, and we will be rolling down in the “RockHound Express” once again. This promises to be a great weekend for the lapidary artists, amateur geologists, happy-go-lucky rockhounds, students of geology, and folks who like clever conversation with fellow rockhounds.
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