|
|
|
|
MINERAL COLLECTING
When can I collect minerals at Sterling Hill? Sterling Hill is open to the public for mineral collecting during the last Sunday of every month, excepting January and February when the museum is closed. Requests for collecting at other times are often honored if sufficient personnel are on hand to supervise. Inquire at the gift shop for current status. Note: Additional collecting opportunities are occasionally available to museum members and are announced through the museum newsletter. What is there to collect? The Mine Run dump includes not only hundreds of tons of zinc ore from the Sterling Hill mine, but also large piles of minerals from worldwide localities. Splendid willemite and franklinite crystals have often been found, as has much high-quality fluorescent material (chiefly willemite, calcite, wollastonite, and hydrozincite). Minerals from the zinc ores and from the Franklin Marble are available in the Passaic and Noble pits. Where is collecting allowed? During scheduled collecting events the entire mine property is normally open to collecting: the Mine Run dump, Fill quarry, and the Passaic and Noble pits, unless otherwise announced or posted. Informal collecting at other times is restricted to the Mine Run dump. Is there an age limit? Yes. You must be 12 years of age or older to collect at Sterling Hill. What equipment will I need? You will need, at a minimum, sturdy footwear (no open-toed shoes) and protective eyewear, or you will not be allowed to collect. You should also bring a stout hammer (claw hammers are not allowed), a collecting bag or bucket, clothes appropriate for clambering over rock, and sunscreen as needed. Bear in mind that zinc ore is both harder and much heavier than normal rock. What will it cost? An entry fee of $5 is charged for admission to the collecting areas, plus $1.50 per pound for all specimens selected. Do you allow night collecting for fluorescent minerals? On rare occasions, yes. This privilege is normally extended to museum members twice per year, and occasionally to such groups as college students on field trips, or meetings of the Fluorescent Mineral Society.
|
|
Send mail to tacco@ptd.net with questions or comments about this web site. |