Field of Diamonds.......maybe we are dreaming! EarthCache

This cache has been archived.

The Seanachai: Greetings from Geocaching.com,

It has come to my attention that circumstances have changed since this cache was placed and the property owner would like for the listing to be archived. In these cases, we must respect the wishes of property owners and managers. If there are extenuating circumstance or if there is more information that I should be aware of, I encourage you to contact me directly.

I want to thank you for the time that you have taken to contribute in the past and I am looking forward to your continued contributions to the sport of Geocaching.

The Seanachai
Geocaching.com Volunteer Cache Reviewer for Tennessee

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Hidden : 9/24/2009
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size: not chosen (not chosen)

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Geocache Description:

EarthCaches Rock or at least some are Rock........This is OUR 50TH EARTHCACHE developed!

Park beside (on the grass) the circular driveway by White gate and WALK through the White and Blue gates to the crystals. Go downhill toward the lower pond on the left.

Do not ask or attempt to drive through the gates, park beside the driveway and walk to the Field!


NOTE: don't go over or under any wire fence! GO through the White gate and then through the Blue gate! Look for the White gate because that's where you park and enter the Field of Diamonds

First of all, if not for the generous permission of Mr. Dale Fincher (his home is the one on the left as you are facing the circular driveway), this EarthCache would not be possible. He owns the property and it should be taken care as you would your own. All gates should be closed and never leave any trash behind. While the ground may be ‘scratched’ while looking for crystals, no serious digging should be done! As usual, you are totally responsible for your own safety and the property owner assumes no liability for injury. There are valuable horses and mules on the farm and care should be exercised with encounters. Again, many thanks go to Mr. Fincher for his support! If you see Dale, please say hi and tell him thanks for his generosity.




The Field


Diamonds are one of the rarest minerals on Earth and you certainly are not going to find them here! What you will find is quartz and it is the second most abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust (after feldspar). It is made up of a continuous framework of silicon and oxygen, with each oxygen being shared, giving an overall formula SiO2. Pure quartz, sometimes called clear quartz, rock crystal or quartz crystals, is colorless or white and transparent (clear) or translucent. This type of quartz is much more rare and you will find it here!


Rock quartz crystals are a hexagonal sculpture only nature could create. These remarkable clusters of natural quartz crystals are formed when silicon and oxygen combine under intense heat and pressure. Because each is a unique natural product, sizes, and shapes and yes, colors, will vary. Beside the colorless, clear crystals, other colors of quartz crystals are: yellow, brown, rose, purple, red, smoke and milky white along with water clear crystals. At the Field of Diamonds Earthcache you may be able to find pure clear, milky white, reddish and gray tinged quartz crystals and combinations thereof! Sizes could be from 1/8 inch wide and ½ inch long to an inch inches wide and several inches long. Larger crystals are more rare. Be on the lookout for the diamonds…. oops, we mean crystals, because you will need to find at least ONE crystal and photograph it!


The most productive quartz veins are present in both Paleozoic sandstones and shales, but those having shale as the host rock typically are massive milky vein deposits with a smaller proportion of clear, well-developed crystals. Minable veins are usually present in either sandstone or shale. Sandstone-hosted quartz veins normally have a higher percentage of rock crystal (water-clear quartz) than quartz veins in shale. The major commercial deposits of rock crystal are usually sandstone hosted. They tend not to be one single vein, but a complex series of veins that follow the fracture patterns of the rocks that were broken and shattered by the mountain-building processes. In this case it was the mountain building (oregeny) process of the Appalachian Mountains. Deposition of quartz took place several times, often interrupted by breakage and refracturing of the host rock.


The crystals here are also known as “field diamonds”. These crystals have often been compared to those from Herkimer County, New York and according to Peter Lemiszki, Tennessee State Geologist. The term “Herkimer” is sometimes applied to them. They are just not your everyday quartz rocks!


The crystals occur in very scattered locations in our East Tennessee Valley and Ridge Province. They are found in residual soils overlying the dolomites of the Knox Group and the siltstones of Sevier Shale. The other ‘local’ shales such as the Cambrian Nolichucky and the Mississippian Granger Formation appear to be void of quartz crystals. At times you will find/see water worn crystals, which indicates some sort of transportation and redeposit. See the below picture with the two crystals on the lower right hand of the photo. These two crystals were rounded by some method of transportation.




Some of the Crystals - Note the two 'rounded' crystals in the lower right


Lack of space and possible reader boredom prohibit giving the full history and use of quartz crystals but perhaps we can touch a few highlights. Quartz crystals have piezoelectric properties, which means they develop an electric potential upon the application of mechanical stress. An early use of this property of quartz crystals was in phonograph pickups (needles). One of the most common piezoelectric uses of quartz today is as the crystal oscillator.


The quartz clock is a familiar device using the mineral. The reason that quartz crystals are useful in telling time is that when they are stimulated with electricity, their oscillations are so regular and precise that they form a handy reference by which bits of time may be measured and displayed. This is part of what we referred to as having piezoelectric properties.


Among the historical use of quartz crystals we find that the crystals have been used since ancient times as powerful healing objects, meditation tools, ornamental decor and to make medicinal elixirs. Wise, medicine man types have long known about their qualities and have used crystals for powerful talismans and amulets. Throughout history, people have valued the beauty of quartz crystals and have used them for ornamental decoration. References to crystals are found throughout literature and in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible and in many other sacred teachings throughout the world. Quartz crystals have been collected, hoarded, worn, bought and sold, darn near worshiped and made part of our modern technology, therefore they are perhaps the most important mineral in the World.


At the Field of Diamonds you are free to collect and keep some of the quartz crystals. As a matter of fact, as alluded to above, you MUST find one! Use the included photos as a references. Look for bare spots with and without shale and small gravel. The bank to the right of the fence that is on your left and the lower pond bank are good areas to look, but crystals may be found anywhere. The best crystal hunting is after a significant rainy period or down pour. Again, check out the photos and good luck! Heck, if my caching buddy Papafuz can find one, anyone can!




Some of the Best


In order for you to have a really fun time at the Field of Diamonds, please complete the following: 1. Find at least one quartz crystal and photograph it with your GPSr pointing to the crystal. 2. If you found more than one crystal, what colors were found? 3. At what elevation did you find your first crystal?


NOTE: Questions 2 and 3 must be answered via email to KK & M. Do not post answers! We know it doesn’t have to be said as 99.999% of our geocachers have respect each other, for the hobby and for others who allow it, but any disrespect shown to the property and/or this EarthCache will result in a log deletion. Have fun and enjoy the “Field of Diamonds’!


P.S. As we mentioned, sometimes, quartz crystals like these are referred to as “field diamonds.” Did you really think we made the name up just to have a clever title????



This Earthcache was approved by the Geological Society of America


We have earned GSA's highest level:

FTF HONORS GO TO: jollymon9999!


Additional Hints (Decrypt)

"Qvnzbaqf ner n tvey'f orfg sevraq." Znlor fb, ohg fur jba'g svaq gurz urer!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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