My daughter and family were
visiting a few weeks ago and
we visited Mont Lyall Agate Mine,
in the Chic-Choc Mountains of the Gaspé.
An ancient volcano,
with an open pit mine.
We were supplied with tools to
pick for geodes, thundereggs etc.
Rock that have formed millions
of years ago.
I knew nothing about rocks
and search the internet
for some information to do this blog.
A geode is a rock with a hollow in it,
often with crystal formation/growth,
may contain agates, amethyst, quarts,
kaolin clay etc.
Thundereggs (thunder eggs)
similar to geode, formed
with volcanic ash layers.
A 2 hr. drive from home on Route 299,
through Parc de la Gaspésie,
along the beautiful Cascapédia River,
to the Murdockville exit, then on a
bumpy gravel road to the site.
After a quick introductory course on what we can find,
with picks in hand and a bucket to fill,
we started on our prospecting expedition,
and walked a short distance to the mountain.
It's easier to wheel the bucket up than
bringing it down, if filled, with 50lbs of rocks.
An amazing site arriving at this huge open pit.
It was as if we were on another planet.
Hunting....digging...picking....prospecting....
Annie and Suzanne
My sister and daughter.
I tried to identify some rocks.
Black calcite
Jasper ?
Suzanne checking out the rocks.
We can have them cut open on site for a fee.
We can bring all the rocks in the bucket home.
A bucket of rocks weight around 50 pounds,
"One Group At A Time"
They were respecting Covid rules.
We wore masks in this area.
The rock-cutting guy gives advice
on which rocks may contain something inside.
Bilingual and friendly service.
My favourite, quarts and brown calcite
quarts
Jasper?
Suzanne got this one cut.
A Thunderegg
White agate with
blue chalcedony.
and this one
A lot of different minerals in this rock.
A guide named 14 minerals in this rock.
nodules
I brought these home to display in my flower garden.
a gift from the rock-cutting guy.
We forgot to bring a bag or bucket to put the rocks in.
Whether you know anything about rocks,
or not, the scenery and being out in nature,
especially on an ancient 300 million year volcano,
is an exciting and amazing experience.
A difference experience and we came
home with some beautiful rocks.
A great place to spend time with family,
especially children, and enjoy the
beautiful nature around us.
Thanks for visiting my blog 💗
I want to go there when I go home !!
ReplyDeleteYou would love it. Plan to spend at least 3 hrs. Our time was limited and we only spent 1 hr. There's also another mountain, 15 minute hike further with a fantastic view.
DeleteLooks like a wonderful experience had by all. Certainly something that I would love to do myself.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great outing and experience.
DeleteI love the ones you are calling jasper and the quartz calcite. So many, though, are just gorgeous. What a grand time you had and what wonderful things to discover. You're right -- it does look like another planet!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic place to take your students on a trip:-)
ReplyDeleteGreat finds!
I thought of that also Nitka. What a great place for a school trip.
DeleteThelma, that must have been a very interesting trip with lots of helpful information. I bet that was an amazing sight to see. It reminds me of when the earthquake hit Santa Cruz in 1989. Highway 17 is the major road into Santa Cruz from San Jose and San Francisco. It is winding and four lanes with very steep hillsides on either side of the lanes. The trees all slid down and left nothing but the ground and in order to get the highway back open they had to bulldoze all the ground off the highway. It did look like something from outer space. It was very wierd and other wordly..Stay well, my friend..xxoJudy
ReplyDeleteMy goodness...this looks like so much fun, Thelma!! and what beautiful rocks you were able to bring home! My grandkids would love doing something like this...they love rocks! Wonderful post! oh, and thank you for visiting the lakehouse, and leaving your kind comment. Debbie xo
ReplyDelete