Rockhounding 101 EarthCache
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This Earthcache site is located within Rockhound State Park. The
gate is open daily from 7:30am to Sunset. Visitor's Center 10:00am
to 4:00pm. An entrance fee of $5.00 per vehicle ($15 for buses) is
required for entry.
Located on the western slopes of the Little Florida Mountains,
Rockhound State Park, southeast of Deming, New Mexico, was
established in 1966 as the first U.S. park allowing visitors to
collect up to fifteen pounds (per person) of rock and mineral
specimens for personal use. Set in the beautiful basin and range
province, the park boasts an interesting array of rocks and
minerals (primarily silica minerals) of volcanic origin. A few of
these include…
- Quartz Crystals – Quartz is the most
abundant mineral in the Earth’s crust. Crystals of this
mineral typically form a six-sided prism that terminates into a
six-sided pyramid.
- Chalcedony – A cryptocrystalline form of
silica made up of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite.
Chalcedony typically shows a waxy luster on its surface and is
often translucent to near transparent.
- Agate – A microcrystalline form of
quartz characterized by an extremely fine-grained texture and often
bright coloration.
- Common Opal - A mineraloid gel that is
deposited at a relatively low temperature and may occur in the
fissures of most any kind of rock.
- Jasper - An opaque and impure form of silica
found in a variety of colors including red, yellow, pink, orange,
brown, chocolate, and variegated.
- Geodes – Basically, a rock cavity or vug
with an internal crystal formation. Geodes are formed when rock
surrounding the cavity hardens, while dissolved silicates or
carbonates are deposited on the interior surface, thus allowing
crystals to form inside the cavity.
- Thundereggs - A nodule-like structure similar
to a geode, but not hollow, whose center is often made up of
chalcedony.
- Rhyolite – An igneous volcanic rock with
a silicon-rich composition. At this park, rhyolite is often found
in banded form.
- Perlite - An amorphous form of volcanic glass
with a relatively high water content. It is typically formed by the
hydration of obsidian.
For this Earthcache you will first be collecting at least 3 to 4 of
the park’s rock and mineral specimens, then you will be
identifying your finds by comparing them to the excellent display
found inside the visitor’s center (Hours
10am to 4pm). For your collecting trip feel free to explore
on or off the trails (keeping an eye out for desert critters!). You
are welcome to surface collect rocks and minerals or, for the more
adventuresome, bring tools such as a rock pick to hunt for some of
the more sought after specimens like thundereggs or geodes. Some
time spent at the visitor's center (VC) prior to your collecting
trip may also give you a better idea of what you will be looking
for during your field explorations. A little hands-on research
never hurts!
I also recommend grabbing a map of the park/trails while at the VC
and if you have questions as to where a specific rock type is found
the staff can often get you pointed in the right direction. If the
VC is closed and you need assistance in identifying your finds
there is a static display of the park’s rocks and minerals at
the first fork in the road beyond the VC (between the parking area
for Jasper Trail and the Group Site). However, some of the labels
and specimens on this display are missing or have been damaged so
the VC is your best bet for identifying your finds.
Enjoy spending an hour, a day, or longer here at the park (RVs are
welcome too!). Also, be sure and take your camera as there are two
photo logging requirements. The first is a photo of you and/or your
group enjoying yourself somewhere in the park; the second is a
photo of the identified rocks and minerals you’ve found on
your collecting trip.
To Log This Earthcache:
To claim your visit to this Earthcache site, please complete and
post the following logging requirements to your log. No emails are
required for this Earthcache and you do not need to wait for a
confirmation, however, failure to provide the required info will
result in your log being deleted.
- In your log, list at least 3 to 4 different types of rock and
mineral you were able to collect and identify during your visit. If
you collected and identified more than three, please also list
them.
- Post a photo of your collected and identified specimens in your
log. Your photo must reflect your finds. If you like you may wish
to add numbers to your photo using an image editing program, or
line up your specimens from left to right and have your log be a
sort of key to your attached photo. (IE: left to right--red jasper,
pink jasper, thunderegg, chalcedony, etc..)
- Optional, not required to log but just for fun... If you have a
photo of you and/or your earthcaching party somewhere in the park
enjoying your rockhounding trip please post it also.
I hope you enjoyed your visit to this Earthcache site! Permission
for the placement of this Earthcache was granted by Robert Apodaca,
Manager, Rockhound State
Park, P. O. Box 1064, Deming, NM 88030
References:
- Most of the very generic definitions used in the
rocks and minerals list were gleaned from Wikipedia.org.
- McLemore and Dunbar. 2000. Rock Hound State Park
and Spring Canyon Recreation Area. Online.
Additional Hints
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