DRC 2.0 Update - Build 2.06 is available

Hi everyone:
I just released an update to Digital Rockhound's companion version 2.0.

2 Bug Fixes: Added Get Latest Update option under Help Menu.
Full revision history

This update will be made available through the new integrated update feature (Added in build 2.0.1).

This update is free to all current users of DRC 2.0.
I have sent email notification to all current users, however if you feel you should get this update and did not receive an email please contact me Gary Kindel.

Gary Kindel

How to create custom list of Minerals

Perform a mineral search and save results as a Custom List.
1) Select Color = Yellow
2) Select Diaphaneity = Transparent
3) Click Search
Matching Mineral records are shown in the lower panel
4) Create a new List: click Save Button.
Enter name for List and click Ok.
5) or Append to Existing list. Click Save to Button
List of Mineral Lists appear, select one and click ok.

Mineral and Fossil references for Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania Trail Geology - Swatara State Park. pdf file

Educational PDF on Geology of Pennsylvania. pdf file

Pennsylvania Dept of Natural Resources. Site

Mineral Collecting in Pennsylvania

I spent 10 years living in SW Pennsylvania in the late 80s and 90s. A high school friend and I made several trips to central and eastern PA mineral collecting. Penn Minerals is a site a nice list of collecting sites, some of which I visited between 1995-2002. As always, please secure permission before entering private land. Obvserve all state and federal regulations while on state and federal lands. Please be Responsible. List of locations are be found here: link I am only including locations in this post, I personally visited. ROSSVILLE ROAD CUT - about 1 mile north of Rossville, which is about 15 miles north of York on Rt. 74 - found in 1974 as part of a road expansion, azurite and malachite coatings on the hornfels have been a favorite to many collectors. To obtain these specimens some heavy hammering is now required as the "excavation" is now about 3 feet back into the road cut. Surprisingly, opal hyalite is found on some the hornfels, only seen under black light appearing as a pale green color. At the southern portion of this road cut micro-sized heulandite, stilbite and chabazite crystals can be found. Visited in 1997-98. Did find malachite coatings. MUD LAKE/GRUBB LAKE, SILVER SPRINGS, LANCASTER CO. - located between Columbia and Mountville near lronville, an abandoned iron mine is now one of the most popular collecting sites for "iron geodes" or "bombs." Minerals identified from here are goethite, hematite, kaolinite, lepidocrocite, magnetite, pyrolusite and quartz. Grubb Lake can be accessed from Rt. 23 near Silver Springs. Turn south onto Hempfield Road and go around two right-angle turns. Turn right onto small stone driveway leading back to Grubb Lake. Park near fenced-in building. Best collecting is located to the south of the driveway across from the building on the mine dumps. Property is owned by Mountville Borough and permission must be obtained to collect here. Visited in 1997-98. Found Goethite. VALLEY QUARRY - GETTYSBURG - has been a popular collecting site for years producing various copper minerals and zeolites. Although presently, zeolites have become somewhat rare, a nice suite of copper minerals are being found. Bornite, chalcocite, chrysocolla and a trace of native copper have been seen. Other species include epidote, andradite, chabazite, chalcopyrite, djurleite, stilbite and heulandite. Quarry is open for collecting to groups and clubs by appointment only. Contact the quarry superintendent (717) 334-3165. Quarry is located along Rt. 97, about 0.5 mile west of Rt. 15. Known also as the Teeter quarry. Visited this site numerous times. Found andradite garnets, stilbite, chabazite and heulandite. MECKLEYS QUARRY - MANDATA, PA - Northumberland Co., - undoubtedly the best location in PA for celestine. Many pieces have removed from here with museum-quality crystals. Collecting for clubs by appointment only. Call Ted Keck 570-758-3340. There is an open house for all collectors the day after Winfield in September. Visited this site in 1997. It is worth the trip on open house day. CODORUS STONE CO. QUARRY - Emigsville - about 5 miles north of York - An active quarry working in the oldest carbonate unit in southeastern Pennsylvania, this quarry has produced a nice suite of micro minerals since about 1960. Larger crystals of calcite, fluorite and quartz have been collected. A total of 26 minerals occur here, but the collecting varies based on the workings of the quarry. Nice fluorite crystals were spotted as recent as July, 2000. A large chalcopyrite seam still produces massive specimens. Sphalerite, hematite, goethite, hydrozincite, malachite and pyrite are just some of the species identified. Quarry is located off of Mundis Race Road, about 1 mile northeast of Emigsville. Collecting is permitted on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, escorted by Jeri Jones. Jeri can be reached at JLJ276@aol.com. Visited site in 1998 with Jeri Jones. Found micro chalcopyrite and Sphalerite xls. Worth while site to visit. CONSTITUTION - Rt. 851 on Maryland Line - in fields in the area are nice rutile crystals, many that are twinned together. Since site is located in cultivated fields, collecting can only be conducted during non-crop times. Rutile, garnet, kyanite, magnetite and gold have been panned from a small stream located on Gross Road. Permission must be granted from the owner. Stopped at this site but weather did not cooperate. Noted that several small streams in the area might be great source for rutile xls washed out of the farmers fields. I want to plan another trip here the potential seems very good.

Pugh Quarry Barite and Celestite Reference

From OSU: Descriptive Mineralogy of Pugh Quarry, Northwestern Ohio: Barite and Celestite

PDF Link

Title: Descriptive Mineralogy of Pugh Quarry, Northwestern Ohio: Barite and Celestite
Creators: Parr, David F.
Chang, Luke L. Y.
Issue Date: Jan-1980
Citation: The Ohio Journal of Science. v80, n1 (January, 1980), 20-29
Abstract: Two sulfate minerals, barite and celestite, were identified in the Devonian rocks at Pugh Quarry. The barite occurs commonly as rosette-like clusters with wide variety of colors and crystal habits. Unusual features include paired crystals and hollow crystals. The former consist of two barite crystals growing parallel with each other on the dolostone matrix, and the latter only of a thin wall of barite commonly marked by cross striations. Celestite crystals have two different colors. The grayblue and blue crystals are prismatic to blocky and occur as well-formed individuals, whereas the colorless and white crystals are tabular to bladed and occur as distinct individuals and as compact clusters.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/1811/22668
ISSN: 0030-0950
Appears in Collections: Volume 80, Issue 1 (January, 1980)

Fossil Collecting Guide for Ohio

PDF From ODNR.

All things Trilobites

Very cool site dedicated to my favorite extinct creature: the trilobite.

Sylvania Ohio Fossil Park

Devonian fossils

Location:
Fossil Park is located in an abandoned mine in Sylvania, OH. It is on the west side of Centennial Road in Sylvania, which is just north-west of Toledo.

The direcitons sound a bit long, but they are easy to follow. From the Ohio Turnpike, take exit 59, the Maumee/U.S. 20 exit. Follow signs to U.S. 23/Ann Arbor. Go south on U.S. 20 to Dussel Rd. Turn west onto Dussel Road. Follow that road to U.S. 23. Take U.S. 23 north to Central Ave. Make a right (west) onto McCord Rd. Stay on McCord road for about 1 mile north and turn left (west) onto Sylvania Rd. Follow Sylvania Road for about 2 miles to Centennial Road. Turn right (north) for a little under 2 miles on Centennial Road, and you should see a sign marking the park.

The park is open weekends from Memorial day until October 22nd.
Linked from FossilGuy

Online Map of Ohio

Nice online maps for Ohio from geology.com. URL