Stones In Unexpected Places
I’m primarily a gold prospector but I like to do some rock hounding here and there. Most of the time, a trip is for either gold or a specific mineral.
I was going through my concentrates from a gold prospecting trip when I noticed a small hexagonal rock in my pan. I didn’t think anything of it at first. Then as I was sorting out the garnets, I found another, then another and before I knew it, I had a small pile of this strange mineral.
Now my area is geologically complex but it’s not known for much. But I couldn’t shake the idea that this mineral could be something really interesting. The host stone was schist, the shape was hexagonal and it was dense. I thought “no way this is corundum” but I pulled out my black light and lo and behold the specimens flowed hot pink!
Moral of the story: Keep an open mind and you might find more than you were looking for.