Lewis Mine, Willsboro, NY

Article I published in March, 2014 WCGMC News

Mineral collectors appreciate the golden amber grossular garnet and green diopside offset by the brilliant white of the matrix wollastonite.  Students of SUNY-Plattsburg learn about contact metamorphism from Dr. Mary Roden-Tice during field trips to the locale.  Economic geologists appreciate the mine as one of only two active wollastonite producing mines in the United States, both of which are in New York State (the Valentine Mine near Harrisville is the second).  But to many New Yorkers, the Lewis Mine of Willsboro Township in Essex County, New York went about its annual production of about 60,000 tons of wollastonite (~10% of the world’s production) in quiet anonymity.

lewis mine 1

Continue reading Lewis Mine, Willsboro, NY

Selleck Road, West Pierrepont, NY

Occupying an east-west ridge just south and parallel to Selleck Road in West Pierrepont this location has been collected for decades.   The main part of the ridge is on state land and accessible without much walking, thereby adding to the popularity of the site.  Tremolite is everywhere, tourmaline (v. uvite) is much more localized along the ridge.  Both the light green tremolite and the uvite is typically etched and non-gemmy, however isolated pockets of very gemmy material has been found.

Selleck road

Continue reading Selleck Road, West Pierrepont, NY