Description: SPECIMEN: - Thumbnail 1-1/4" CALCITES on Matrix - NICE CALCITE GROWTH ON MATRIX - VIEW VIDEO TO SEE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS SPECIMEN LOCATION: - PLEASANT RIDGE QUARRY - RENSSELAER INDIANA NOTE: - FROM THE 1960'S - CLOSED LOCATION - - VIDEO SHOWS 360 DEGREE VIEW OF THE SPECIMEN SPECIMEN IS IN A 1-1/4 INCH PERKY BOX AND MEASURES 1-1/4 INCHES x 1/2 INCHES x 1/2 INCHES TALL --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A MEMORY ABOUT PLEASANT RIDGE QUARRY IN RENSSELAER INDIANA FROM THE LATE 1960's - 50+ YEARS AGO --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because Pleasant Ridge Quarry is a closed location and you may never have had the chance to experience hunting minerals at this location, I thought I might share a perspective to help you understand the beginnings of this specimen. Pleasant Ridge was one of those quarries where you always wore the same "rock hunting" clothes, because the pockets where the Pyrite, Marcasite, Dolomite and Calcites were found, were full of a dark brown, oily, tar, ooze, goo that was naturally occurring BITUMEN (a black viscous mixture of hydrocarbons) that permanently attached to any article of clothing it touched. I mean permanently! The quarry was actively producing crushed dolostone that was used in construction and was also used for most of the gravel roads in mid-north Indiana at the time. As a result, the operation's quarry appearance was constantly changing because of the blasting that took place to bring down the walls. No matter what week-end you went, there was "fresh" hunting. Visiting involved a quick stop at the mill office to get permission (and signing waivers, as we entered the early 1970's) Then you could drive your personal vehicle down into the quarry bottom... essentially into a huge hole in the surrounding countryside that had 150 foot tall rock walls. Then you would drive over to where the work had been happening, park and prepare for the hunt. Changing to a pair of boots, putting on your "Rensselaer Clothes" and packing a rock hammer and a couple of chisels into a 5 gallon bucket. Add a roll of paper towels and several empty egg cartons and you were ready. The process of hunting was to either search the piles of collapsed walls laying on the quarry floor or (the most fun) go up the rubble where it was against the quarry walls, where you could find gooey pockets of fresh minerals where they had formed. That is why finding Calcite crystals that are "clear" are unusual for this location, as most have retained the brown stuff in which they were formed. For presentation, any of the minerals for show, had to be degreased because of the goo. Most all of the Dolomite and Calcites from this location have that brown hue. Marcasite was likely the most fascinating to find, because of the shiny blades and diverse shapes that it took... many times growing over Pyrite clusters. It is rare to find Marcasite Specimen "survivors", as they had the propensity to crumble to small pieces in their perky boxes or flats over the years. A real shame to lose that kind of beauty! To me, the most fun part of hunting at this location was the surprise factor... there were so many different shapes of calcites... and then with the Pyrite and Marcasite diversity... it was worth dealing with some goo! AND THEN.... when you got home, you began the process of cleaning your specimens to see what treasures you had found on your trip to Pleasant Ridge Quarry. The neat ones, you would box up, label and add to your ever growing collection. This specimen was one of those treasures! PLEASE SEE MY OTHER AUCTIONS FOR A WIDE VARIETY OF CRYSTALS, MINERALS & FOSSILS - DON'T SEE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR???? JUST ASK, I HAVE THOUSANDS OF SPECIMENS NOT YET LISTED.SEE PHOTOS FOR WHAT YOU WILL BE RECEIVING PHOTOS TAKEN ON A 1 INCH SCALE BOARD FOR SIZE REFERENCE Payment terms: PAYPAL - eBay No International Shipping - Ships only to lower 48 Continental States - No Shipping to APO / FPO Please ask questions if you need more information and I will be glad to help in any way I can.THANK YOU FOR LOOKING AT MY LISTING!
Price: 9.51 USD
Location: Grovetown, Georgia
End Time: 2024-11-26T03:36:15.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.95 USD
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All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Shape: Natural
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
