GC7F9DZ UTAH ICE (selenite gypsum) (Earthcache) in Arizona, United States created by Pip-Boy3000

GC7F9DZ ▼

A cache by Pip-Boy3000 Message this owner

Hidden : 11/24/2017

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: other (other)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

“Glitter Mine” which produces the mineral selenite, nicknamed “Utah Ice.”

This mine sits on public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management, but the materials are privately owned by Feller (Stone).

A big problem that Feller is running into right now is people bringing their own picks, shovels, heavy machinery and chipping away at his claim. Feller tells 2News the problem isn’t just the money, it’s also a safety hazard.

"There could be a rock fall…it's a liability,” Feller said and it’s threatening his business, “Nibbling away at taking our profits."…

The reason for this problem is due to social media. The BLM have been assisting Feller for months in spreading the word about his claim to the mine and Rachel Carnahan with the BLM said people believe this mine is abandoned, which is false information.

Since Feller has the rights to this claim, technically he doesn’t have to allow the public to take materials from his mine but over the years he’s been okay with it, as long as people aren’t greedy.

“If you want to take little pieces fine, but don't bring your backpacks and your shovels and picks, that's not appropriate." Feller said.
- by DJ Bolerjack, KUTV Friday, October 20th 2017
Please follow "all" of the posted requirements located on the BLM signage. This includes "NO OPEN MINING" or "ENTERING THE MINE PIT!" These rules are to help insure the area will stay open to the general public and for the overall safety of the visitors. As you can see in the above picture of the pit several large rocks have fallen from above since it was last mined. THIS COULD HAPPEN AT ANYTIME!

TO CLAIM YOUR FIND

First you MUST answer all of the following questions and the FOR SCIENCE section via email within 48 hours of your posted log. Any missing answers will disqualify your find. Please do not post your answers in your log. This will also disqualify your find. In either case your log will be deleted. All answers can be answered using the signage at the posted location.

1. Send an email or message entitled GC7F9DZ UTAH ICE. List the number in our group and names for whom you are submitting the answers for.
2. Fill in the blank inside the brackets. The following is a direct quote from the BLM signage: "This mine contains a deposit of a transparent , crystalline form of gypsum called "selenite" ( _________ ).
3. What is "the most important identifying characteristic of gypsum"?
4. "Gypsum is commonly formed in highly evaporative environments, such as closed-basin lakes." According to the sign what is an example of this?

Post A PIC WITH YOUR LOG

As of June 10th, 2019 GC HQ updated the requirements for logging an EarthCache to allow the CO to request the visitor to "…provide a photo of themselves or a personal item to prove they visited the site. A personal item must be an option for those who do not want to photograph themselves. This task is acceptable only as an addition to well-developed logging tasks, not as a substitution."

So as of 06/10/19 "all" logs MUST have a pic attached with either the cacher (or group of cachers) prominently in it OR a personal item (GPS/printed icon/etc.) I will not accept cell phones as a personal item because 1) you more than likely would be using it for the pic 2) Cell phone, in my opinion, is too generic for a "personal item."If you post a group pic you MUST list the cachers names in you log.

Faliure to follow this or any part of the logging tasks will result in disqualification and your log will be "deleted!"

FOR SCIENCE

Locate a clear piece of gypsum outside of the mine pit. Now scratch it with one of your fingernails. Do you scratch the gypsum? Why is this? (use the information on the signage to form your answer)

Piece of selenite crystal, also known as “Utah Ice,” picked from the "Glitter Mountain" site

INFORMATION
Gypsum

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer, and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard chalk and wallboard. A massive fine-grained white or lightly tinted variety of gypsum, called alabaster, has been used for sculpture by many cultures including Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Nottingham alabasters of Medieval England. Mohs scale of mineral hardness, based on scratch Hardness comparison, defines hardness value 2 as gypsum. It forms as an evaporite mineral and as a hydration product of anhydrite.

Etymology and history

The word gypsum is derived from the Greek word γύψος (gypsos), "plaster". Because the quarries of the Montmartre district of Paris have long furnished burnt gypsum (calcined gypsum) used for various purposes, this dehydrated gypsum became known as plaster of Paris. Upon addition of water, after a few tens of minutes plaster of Paris becomes regular gypsum (dihydrate) again, causing the material to harden or "set" in ways that are useful for casting and construction.

Gypsum was known in Old English as spærstān, "spear stone", referring to its crystalline projections. (Thus, the word spar in mineralogy is by way of comparison to gypsum, referring to any non-ore mineral or crystal that forms in spearlike projections). Gypsum may act as a source of sulfur for plant growth, which was discovered by J. M. Mayer, and in the early 19th century, it was regarded as an almost miraculous fertilizer. American farmers were so anxious to acquire it that a lively smuggling trade with Nova Scotia evolved, resulting in the so-called "Plaster War" of 1820. In the 19th century, it was also known as lime sulfate or sulfate of lime.

Physical properties

Gypsum is moderately water-soluble (~2.0–2.5 g/l at 25 °C)[6] and, in contrast to most other salts, it exhibits retrograde solubility, becoming less soluble at higher temperatures. When gypsum is heated in air it loses water and converts first to calcium sulfate hemihydrate, (bassanite, often simply called "plaster") and, if heated further, to anhydrous calcium sulfate (anhydrite). As for anhydrite, its solubility in saline solutions and in brines is also strongly dependent on NaCl (common table salt) concentration. Gypsum crystals are found to contain anion water and hydrogen bonding.

Crystal varieties

Gypsum occurs in nature as flattened and often twinned crystals, and transparent, cleavable masses called selenite. Selenite contains no significant selenium; rather, both substances were named for the ancient Greek word for the Moon. Selenite may also occur in a silky, fibrous form, in which case it is commonly called "satin spar". Finally, it may also be granular or quite compact. In hand-sized samples, it can be anywhere from transparent to opaque. A very fine-grained white or lightly tinted variety of gypsum, called alabaster, is prized for ornamental work of various sorts. In arid areas, gypsum can occur in a flower-like form, typically opaque, with embedded sand grains called desert rose. It also forms some of the largest crystals found in nature, up to 12 m (39 ft) long, in the form of selenite.

Occurrence

Gypsum is a common mineral, with thick and extensive evaporite beds in association with sedimentary rocks. Deposits are known to occur in strata from as far back as the Archaean eon. Gypsum is deposited from lake and sea water, as well as in hot springs, from volcanic vapors, and sulfate solutions in veins. Hydrothermal anhydrite in veins is commonly hydrated to gypsum by groundwater in near-surface exposures. It is often associated with the minerals halite and sulfur. Gypsum is the most common sulfate mineral. Pure gypsum is white, but other substances found as impurities may give a wide range of colors to local deposits.

Because gypsum dissolves over time in water, gypsum is rarely found in the form of sand. However, the unique conditions of the White Sands National Monument in the US state of New Mexico have created a 710 km2 (270 sq mi) expanse of white gypsum sand, enough to supply the construction industry with drywall for 1,000 years. Commercial exploitation of the area, strongly opposed by area residents, was permanently prevented in 1933 when president Herbert Hoover declared the gypsum dunes a protected national monument.

Gypsum is also formed as a by-product of sulfide oxidation, amongst others by pyrite oxidation, when the sulfuric acid generated reacts with calcium carbonate. Its presence indicates oxidizing conditions. Under reducing conditions, the sulfates it contains can be reduced back to sulfide by sulfate-reducing bacteria. Electric power stations burning coal with flue gas desulfurization produce large quantities of gypsum as a byproduct from the scrubbers.

Orbital pictures from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have indicated the existence of gypsum dunes in the northern polar region of Mars, which were later confirmed at ground level by the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Opportunity.

Mining

Commercial quantities of gypsum are found in the cities of Araripina and Grajaú in Brazil; in Pakistan, Jamaica, Iran (world's second largest producer), Thailand, Spain (the main producer in Europe), Germany, Italy, England, Ireland, Canada and the United States. Large open pit quarries are located in many places including Plaster City, California, United States, and East Kutai, Kalimantan, Indonesia. Several small mines also exist in places such as Kalannie in Western Australia, where gypsum is sold to private buyers for additions of calcium and sulfur as well as reduction of aluminum toxicities on soil for agricultural purposes. Crystals of gypsum up to 11 m (36 ft) long have been found in the caves of the Naica Mine of Chihuahua, Mexico. The crystals thrived in the cave's extremely rare and stable natural environment. Temperatures stayed at 58 °C (136 °F), and the cave was filled with mineral-rich water that drove the crystals' growth. The largest of those crystals weighs 55 tons and is around 500,000 years old.

Thanks to the Arizona Strip District Office of the BLM.

This cache placed by a:

This cache placed by a member of:

Additional Hints (No hints available.)

Watch

Geocache Description:

Attributes

Inventory

Bookmark Lists

UTAH ICE (selenite gypsum) EarthCache

Watch

Geocache Description:

Attributes

Inventory

Bookmark Lists

Treasures