An Official Field Trip of the LOW COUNTRY GEM & MINERAL SOCIETY (HOST)
and The Forsyth Gem and mineral Club

Dig: 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM EST Saturday – July 17, 2010

  

WHERE: Diamond Hill Quartz Mine (near Antreville, SC) FEE SITE

COLLECTING:   Quartz crystals in numerous forms such as amethyst, smokey quartz, clear crystals, milky quartz, skeletal quartz, and quartz coated with hematite or manganese.  Also some microminerals such as cacoxenite are found there.  In recent years new veins of amethyst and smokey quartz were uncovered by machines.

TIME:   Dig is from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm ET. You will be required to sign a waiver of liability & you must have a ticket before you can enter the mine site. 

FEE: Adult fee is $15.00, $6.00 for children under 16 and for non-digging spouses and elderly.  A filled out release of liability form will be necessary for each person attending.  Some forms will be available, but you can avoid delays by going to www.gamineral.org/commercial-diamondhill.htm and printing off the form found under permission procedure for private individuals.  Bring the completed form and fee with you.

 

DIRECTIONS:  Take I-85 to exit 21 (US 178/ Anderson, SC).  Go south on 178 for one mile and bear right onto SC 28.  Stay on SR 28 all the way to Antreville.  It is 21 miles from Exit 21 to Antreville.  Drive past Crawford's store on the left and turn right on SR 284 just before Emmanuel Baptist Church.  Drive 2.3 miles and turn right on Suber road (S-01-508).  Go 7/10 of a mile and turn right on Diamond Mine Road (gravel road).  Go for 1/2 mile to the mine entrance on the right.  The gamineral web site has a map.


WHAT TO BRING: Buckets, picks, shovels, rock hammers, sledge hammers, chisels, scratching tools, sun screen, drinks, and a picnic lunch.  No power equipment is allowed.


WHERE TO STAY: Anyone is welcome to camp at Diamond Hill Site on Friday evening.  There is no charge for that.  However, if someone arrives on Friday, and spends any time walking the property and/or picking up specimens, then that person must pay the daily collecting fee of $15. 


It is also possible that someone will want to camp at DH on Sat evening.  If someone does that, then he needs to include Sunday on his liability release form.  And if such person also does any collecting on Sunday, then he must pay the daily fee.  For all campers there is flat space at Diamond Hill site to park a camper or erect a tent.  There is an outhouse.  There is no running water or electricity.  Full service camping is nearby at Lakes Hartwell and Russell.
CONTACTS: Field Trip Chair: Lawrence Moss, (843)  819-0726 or email:  jorel611@yahoo.com