Quartz, North Queensland

[Bowerbird]

Hi Everyone,

We are hoping to get out and do some fossicking over the break and are keen to find some good quartz, smoky would be nice but happy to find anything. We are at Mareeba and normally go to Mount Gibson but hope to find somewhere closer. Surely some of you gold lads would know of somewhere? That being said I am happy to look for anything except gold..... not my thing!

Have a good Christmas and be nice to each other.

Bowerbird

 

[jimnyjerry]

Hi Bowerbird. Try the Atherton Lapidary club. They should have plenty of local knowledge.

 

[KEZZ]

Mount surprise has topaz not sure how far that is from you

 

[The Green Wanderer]

Gday bowerbird, there's quartz all over the place up here unfortunately finding some nice specimens isnt easy.
Send me a pm when you get to 10 posts and ill send you a few areas you could try. Although I think the rain may make things tough.
TGW

 

[Bowerbird]

Yes, well thank's everyone for the replies, however the rain is here I am happy to report. I don't care that we are housebound due to weather, I'm just happy all the critters and greenery is getting some relief, great chrissy pressy! I will keep that in mind Green Wanderer, thank you for the offer. I'm not a serious collector, the process of finding is the lure. Mostly I'm just happy getting out there.
Opal is my thing, mostly due to availability and having an uncle who is an experienced opal miner. That sparked the interest in the opal. Then came agate, wohoo! Then came quartz and topaz at Mount Gibson. Quartz, of all of them it is quartz that fascinates me.

Thanks

Deb

 

[Lefty]

Yes, well thank's everyone for the replies, however the rain is here I am happy to report. I don't care that we are housebound due to weather, I'm just happy all the critters and greenery is getting some relief, great chrissy pressy! I will keep that in mind Green Wanderer, thank you for the offer. I'm not a serious collector, the process of finding is the lure. Mostly I'm just happy getting out there.
Opal is my thing, mostly due to availability and having an uncle who is an experienced opal miner. That sparked the interest in the opal. Then came agate, wohoo! Then came quartz and topaz at Mount Gibson. Quartz, of all of them it is quartz that fascinates me.

Thanks

Deb

Hi Deb. My in-laws live in Atherton (they are down here in Gladstone for Christmas at present) and we usually go out to Mount Gibson whenever we go up to visit. Mount Gibson and probably Mount Surprise as well would both be likely for quartz crystals (I have found plenty of smokey quartz crystals at Mount Gibson) but I'm not sure of anything closer to Mareeba.

There would almost certainly be pockets of such crystals around Mareeba and the Tablelands given the geology, finding them and getting access to them would be the thing.

The lapidary club at Tolga would probably be your best bet for local information.

Cheers

 

[AtomRat]

Follow the size of granite cystal grains to big crystals ( if granite is there )

 

[Lefty]

Follow the size of granite cystal grains to big crystals ( if granite is there )

You could check out Granite Gorge Deb - though I'm not sure you're allowed to dig there. Seriously though, as Atom Rat suggests, that would be a place to start looking at least, right beside Mareeba itself.

Be especially on the lookout for pegmatites, areas in igneous rock where the crystals that make up the rock are much larger than normal. Igneous rocks like granite often contain quartz crystal and gemmy things but usually the crystals are so tiny to be of no interest - I have a piece of granite I picked up from the riverbank beside my home with a tiny cave in it containing a very tiny but perfectly formed quartz crystal growing from the wall. This sort of stuff is all through much igneous rock but it's only here and there that the crystals have grown large enough to take our interest. Pegmatites hold the possibility of good-sized crystals of quartz and other things. Have a look at the rock bars in the bed of the creek you cross at the base of Mount Gibson (if the March flies don't suck you to a withered husk) and you will see in places, thick bands of blocky white quartz running though the rock. The crystals of quartz have grown much larger than normal here, as well as up and down the mountain itself. Hence, you can find good-sized quartz crystals there, along with topaz and tin.

Pegmatite image

 

[Bowerbird]

Thanks everyone for the great replies. I am gradually getting used to the terminology and am starting to learn what to look for. I bought home a bowling ball sized chunk of quartz from Mt Gibson that has vugh's here and there all over it (should have seen hubby's face when I came over the crest of Patricia to the car with it, face red, huffing and puffing). I look at it a lot and just keep hosing it, fascinating. Seeing the crystals inside in their original formation it's hard to imagine how slowly they grow. Perhaps I am more of a collector than a lapidary as I find that original form is more appealing than as jewelery.
Haven't encountered March flies yet, only big, big ants and a human deposit in the middle of the patch (the mind bloody boggles). Mt Gibson is the only place we have been so far. Now that we have a camper trailer we can head further afield, Agate Creek, Mount Surprise.

In regards Granite Gorge, if you find specimens without digging can you keep them? We are a little reluctant to go anywhere that isn't designated fossicking area as we would hate to step on any toes (hangover attitude from the opal fields). Yes, I should drag my butt to the local club but I don't drive and can't cope in social gatherings (can't concentrate, to much input lol).

Not sure if the pic will work but these are a few of the bits we find, nothing spectacular to anyone except me!

Deb

 

[Lefty]

Quartz and topaz. Topaz facets beautifully - sometimes referred to as "poor man's diamond". A bit of an underrated stone I think, looks fantastic and is nice and hard so is good for general jewellery work.

 

[AtomRat]

Not the best photo, but herrs some pegamtites..massive crystal grain structure matrix. Especially chasing feldspats Iis easy for the shine and glossy look is easy to spot. ( felspars the dull-glossy white stuff in granite and very planar )

Feel free to send me ( pm ) photos of the creek..the rocks in the creek..what you dig..the main rock in your area like granites etc.

The rock in the centre of this photo.. you can clearly see a huge felspar crystal form which is squareish

 

[Bushmanrod]

All through the hills on the coast line from Barron river North to Quaid rd area out crops of quartz crystals every third creek or valley almost. Black mtn rd good for access. Some of the creek ones are water worn n some that you dig in silica/ clay areas are prime.. Others can be located in pockets even in hard rock.. A lot of black mineralisation in quartzy areas can result in nice stones. Seen them like Coke cans.. I got a lot at mt Gibson over the back at Patricia diggings, some nice phantoms too. Also citrine topaz ..