Day 2: Morefield Mine (Amelia, VA)

Location: Today we will travel from Richmond, VA to Amelia, VA in search of Morefield Mine. Amelia is in the Piedmont province of Virginia. From Richmond, take I-195 to the Powhite Parkway. Exit onto Virginia Rte. 288, then take U.S. 360 west. After about a 20 minute drive, you will see the "Morefield Mine" sign - you take this left onto County Road 628.

Equipment: Like yesterday, you will want to wear your hiking boots and old clothes You will also want to bring rubber gloves for washing your minerals. Bring some water, and a small bag or bucket. Tools, shovels, and buckets are provided by the mine, however, you may want to bring a gardening claw and a small bag or bucket of your own to carry home your "finds". Each person is allowed to remove one 5 gallon bucket of material per day at a cost of $8 a day.

Schedule:

8:30 a.m. Meet in hotel conference room and discuss the day's schedule. Answer any questions.

9:15 a.m. Check out of Richmond hotel, load vans, and head out to Amelia, VA. (little over an hour drive)

10:30 a.m. Reach Morefield Mine and search for precious gems.

12:30-1:30 Break for lunch at "360 Truck Stop" (very close to Rte. 628)

1:45-3:00 Return to mine and dig in the Out-cropping dig area. This site cost extra for the mines visitor's, however, it
offers bulk quartz, mica, and some beryl.

3:15 p.m. Use "Amelia Family Campground" on Rte. 360 to freshen up a bit.

4:00 p.m. Load vans and head out for a 2.5 hour drive to Danville, VA. (Take U.S. 360 West to 58)

6:30 p.m. Arrive in Danville, check into hotel, and go eat.

A Brief Review of Minerals:
Mineral are defined by geologists as possessing five characteristics. In order for a substance to be a mineral it must:
    1. Occur naturally
    2. Be inorganic
    3. Be solid
    4. Have its atoms arranged in a definite pattern (crystal system)
    5. Have a definite chemical composition

Nearly 4000 substances thus far identified from Earth's crust meet these five characteristics. Therefore, there are about 4000 known minerals. (Tarbuck, 1999)

Mineral are commonly identified using six physical properties. These six properties and descriptions of each are listed below. (Busch, 2000)

Color: The color of a mineral may be what is most noticeable, however, it can be very deceptive in the identification of minerals. Many minerals may exist in more than one color. For example, quartz can be clear, white, gray, purple, or pink. Therefore, quartz cannot be identified by color alone, other physical properties must be used in identification.

Streak: The streak of a mineral is its color when ground to a fine powder. The streak of a mineral is often tested using an unglazed porcelain streak plate. You scratch your mineral on the porcelain plate and the color of the powder left on the plate is the color of the mineral's streak. Hematite is a mineral with a red-brown streak although the color of the mineral itself can range from silvery black to brick red.

Luster: The luster of a mineral is a description of how that mineral reflects light. There are two types of luster: metallic and nonmetallic. A metallic luster has a "sheen" like a metal whereas a nonmetallic luster does not possess this sheen. Galena is an example of a mineral with a metallic luster whereas limonite has a nonmetallic luster.

Cleavage and Fracture: The cleavage and fracture of minerals describes the breaking pattern that mineral possesses. If a mineral breaks along a smooth, flat surface it breaks with cleavage. However, if it breaks along curved breaks, or "jagged" it breaks with fracture. Mica is an example of a mineral that breaks with cleavage whereas quartz breaks with fracture.

Hardness: The hardness of a mineral describes how easily a mineral can be scratched. Hardness is determined using Moh's hardness scale. This quantitative scale compares the hardness of a mineral with the hardness' of known mineral and common objects. Moh's Hardness scale is shown below:

        10    Diamond
               9    Corundum
               8    Topaz
               7    Quartz
                                                                6.5 Streak Plate
               6    Orthoclase Feldspar
                                                                5.5 Glass, Masonry nail, knife blade
               5    Apatite
                                                                4.5 Wire, iron nail
               4    Fluorite
                                                                3.5 Copper wire or penny
               3   Calcite
                                                                2.5 Fingernail
               2   Gypsum
               1   Talc

Other Properties: Certain minerals have unique properties from which they can be identified. For example, magnetite is magnetic; calcite reacts/fizzes when exposed to dilute hydrochloric acid; and some minerals have striations which can aid in identification. Specific gravity, the ratio of the weight of the mineral with and equal volume of water, is also used in mineral identification.

Importance of Minerals: Minerals are of great economic importance to our society. Minerals have countless uses ranging from gemstones to making steel to making glass, to make-up, etc. Certain minerals are even used in fertilizers. To learn more about mineral resources, visit these sites:

http://minerals.usgs.gov/
http://www.nswmin.com.au/minerals/az-minerals.html
http://www.minval.com/mineralsuse_minerals.html

Scientific Significance of Morefield Mine:

Morefield Mine in Amelia county is a wonderful spot for "rockhounds" to try their mining skills. The igneous rock Pegmatite is common here and yields several different minerals. Among these minerals are mica, kaolin, feldspar, quartz, beryl, and even gems such as garnet, topaz, amethyst, and amazonite. Amazonite is a green stone that is unique to Amelia County. (Blankenship, 2000) Below are a few pictures of minerals found at Morefield Mine and a description of each: (Phillips, 1998)

Above are pictures of the quartz mineral. Notice how they are different colors. Quartz is found in a variety of colors including purple, clear, pink, white, or even gray. It is a silicate, therefore it is composed primarily of silicon and oxygen. It is nonmetallic and has a hardness of 7. Quartz has a hexagonal crystal system. Common uses of quartz include abrasives, glass, and gemstones. (Busch, 2000) The picture to the left is a common gemstone of quartz named amethyst. Amethyst is easy to find at Morefield Mine. It's shades of purple vary from light to dark. To the right is clear quartz, also common at the mine. (Phillips, 1998)

Above is a picture of Amazonite - unique to Amelia County. This stone is very abundant at the mine. It's color varies from light green to a rich blue-green.
(Phillips, 1998)

The gemstone Garnet is shown above. Garnet is a complex silicate with a nonmetallic luster and white streak. It has a hardness of 7 and is composed of a dodecahedron crystal pattern. It's color is usually red, brown, or black, but it can also be found yellow, green, or pink. Garnet is used as a gemstone and can also be used as an abrasive (Busch, 2000) Small specimens of this January gemstone can be found at Morefield Mine. (Phillips, 1998)

Above is a picture of the mineral mica which is found all over Morefield mine. (Phillips, 1998) The dark specimen is known as Biotite Mica while the translucent is known as Muscovite Mica. Biotite Mica is a ferromagnesian potassium, hydrous aluminum silicate with a nonmetallic luster and a hardness between 2.5 and 3. Its color is usually between a brown and black but it can have a hint of green as well. Uses of biotite mica include rubber, paint, and fire-resistant tiles. Muscovite mica is a potassium hydrous aluminum silicate with a nonmetallic luster and a hardness between 2 and 2.5. It is usually colorless but can have a hint of yellow, brown, or red-brown. Muscovite mica is used in computer chips, electrical insulation, roof shingles, and facial make-up. Both micas possess excellent cleavage patterns. (Busch, 2000)

What the Mine Looks Like:

Below is the collecting area found at Morefield Mine. It is down a slight grade. (Phillips, 1998)

The mine shaft shown below is to the right of the collecting area. The mine-shaft is roped off
to collectors, as are several trees and natural habitats. However, it is in this area that you can
fresh material that the owner has removed from the mine. (Phillips, 1998)

Shown below is the sluice area of the mine. This is where you wash your material to
determine if you have discovered any "hidden treasures". Be sure to wear your
rubber gloves -- some of the quartz pieces can be pretty sharp! (Phillips, 1998)

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