Verde Antique, Stoddard Wells, Ca, A How
to Guide.
It the hills north of Victorville and Apple
Valley, California beautiful Verde Antique is located. It’s a pleasant stone to
hold and admire the hues of greens from light green to dark green with brecciated
whites speckled or swirled, also hints of light yellow can also be swirled into
the mix yet always predominantly a pleasing green. Today I will share with you
the joys I have had both collecting and working lapidary with this pleasing
material, also we will add some history and geological information.
Verde Antique was the material my oldest son
Zack made his first Cabochon with, he was 12 years old and he is a rockhound
and lapidary lover for life! Green is my favorite color so when I found out
about this location so near my Hesperia High desert home of 13 years it was a
no brainer, and we have been to this spot and several other in this area dozens
of times over the years.
(Disclaimer:
when using any equipment follow all recommended personal safety
precautions, maintenance and operation, as stated with in the manufactures
owner’s manual. This is for information purposes only and we are not
responsible for anything you do with your equipment. Make sure areas are open
for collecting and that you follow all safety precautions. This information is
for entertainment purposes only.)
Stoddard Wells area is located northeast of
Victorville, for finding Verde antique marble, tri-colored marble, black
marble, and blue dolomite. You can see if camping at “Snob Hill” is still ok and
travel from there to the various sites. From camp it is a hill climb to the Verde
antique. A good four-wheel drive vehicle got me more than halfway up the hill,
but it’s rough, if you are not a regular at going up steep hills and mountains.
(check local regulations, this was an open area early 2000’s) This will be dry
camping. Bring your desert survival kit, collecting materials, tools, chisel,
hand sledgehammer, and goggles or safety glassed or face shield, gloves, and firewood.
Clubs have regular trips to collect in this area, see their web sites below if
you wish to go along, they will be glad to help you, we need all the rockhounds
we can get to keep this hobby alive. Also, there is an annual gem show you can
attend, a great time to camp and collect and see all the great lapidary and
rocks for sell. (warning, lots of creature’s that can be nasty besides man,
such as scorpions, rattle snakes, poisonous spiders, flying tetradactyl, just
be safe and use good judgement and don’t go out alone, check in with someone to
let them know your going out into the desert or any isolated areas)
Interesting
side note:
Verde antique is the national gemstone of
Ireland, where it is called Connemara marble, named after the
region in the western part of the country in which it is quarried
(including Lissoughter in Recess, County Galway and in Clifden)
Location
GPS 34D 37.769M North 117D 02.971M West Stoddard Wells Verde Marble Quarry Just
outside of Victorville off the I-15 freeway is a great collection location for
Verde (light lime green) marble. There are tons of material here as float and
massive outcroppings. You can be very selective in getting the pieces of the
right size and color. Many of the boulders are well over 20 pounds. The marble
is solid and takes a good polish. There are almost no fractures or seams and it
slabs well for cabochons. To get to this location take the Stoddard Wells/ Bell Mountain
turn off and at the intersection at the bottom of the off ramp go left (NNE) on
Stoddard Wells road for 11.67 miles to the Lucerne Valley Cutoff road. Go right
for 3.93 miles and turn right just a few yards past the pipeline road. Proceed
.89 miles south. You will come to a y in the road. Go left for .38 more miles to
another y. Go left again for another .83 miles. There are two collecting areas.
To the left and up the creek bed you will find a wall of marble and some nice
boulders up a little further. This is the tri-color material with yellow
and blue tones in the lime green marble. On the right on the hillside is a more
pastel lime green with black leopard spots mixed in. Be sure to bring a squirt
bottle of water to make identification easier. The way in is a little confusing
with several tracks going through the main path.
Property’s
Verde Antique is about a 3 on the hardness
scale, and due to the Crystalline properties, it takes a good polish for
lapidary use. It is softer so I would not recommend using it for a ring to be
wore daily. Marble is a metamorphic rock that forms when Limestone is
subjected to the heat and pressure of metamorphism. It is composed primarily of
the mineral Calcite (CaCO3) and usually contains other
minerals, such as clay minerals, micas, Quartz, Pyrite, iron oxides,
and Graphite. Under the conditions of metamorphism, the calcite in the
limestone recrystallizes to form a rock that is a mass of interlocking calcite
crystals. A related rock, dolomitic marble, is produced when Dolostone is
subjected to heat and pressure. Verde Antique marbles are said to get the green
color often from Serpentine, and since the Cajon pass and blue cut mountains
are made entirely of serpentine to the south, my guess would be this is the
source of the green coloration.
Lapidary
The material is called a marble, so it is soft
and pleasant to work with, how ever Verde Antique marble is know to have
Serpentine in it, and in the nearby area the serpentine contains asbestos, so
be sure to keep it wet, and to be even safer when polishing use a fitted
respirator to avoid dangers rock dust of any kind. This material will make
great Spheres, book ends, clocks, cabochons, or what ever you can dream up
Geology
Stoddard Mountain, The Stoddard
Mountain area is underlain by dacitic ignimbrite deposits, basalts, and
intercalated sedimentary rocks of the lower Sidewinder volcanic series. Local
rocks include Mesozoic granitic rocks, (Sierra Nevada, Death Valley area,
Northern Mojave Desert and Transverse Ranges).
Join me on the Radical Rocks Podcast, our Blog or social media below, also see our affiliate
links below that help support our mission to keep Rockhounding and arts
lapidary alive and thriving.
Your ideas and thoughts are important, I would love to hear from you! I would love to feature your shop, mine, club, or stories on our blog, podcast and YouTube Videos.
Affiliate/referral links
https://amzn.to/2PfXYMz
Gem Trails of southern California https://amzn.to/38PuCwt
Fundrise,
become a real state investor for only $500 I have for months now and it’s been
earning an average of 10% dividends. https://fundrise.com/i/33o5g
Website of interest on this topic
Sources/References
Wright, L.A., et al (1953), Mines and mineral resources of San
Bernardino County, California: California Journal of Mines and Geology,
California Division of Mines (Report 49): 49(1-2): tabulated list of mines No.
421, p. 142, Pl. 1.
Bowen, O.E., Jr. (1954), Geology and mineral deposits of Barstow
quadrangle, San Bernardino County, California: California Division Mines
Bulletin 165: 134.
Murdoch, Joseph & Robert W. Webb (1966), Minerals of
California, Centennial Volume (1866-1966): California Division Mines &
Geology Bulletin 189: 217.
Sinkankas, J. (1976) Gemstones of North America II. Van Nostrand
Reinhold Co., New York: 326.
Pemberton, H. Earl (1983), Minerals of California; Van Nostrand
Reinholt Press: 161-162, 423.
USGS (2005), Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS): U.S. Geological
Survey, Reston, Virginia, loc. file ID #10077234 & 10285818.
U.S. Bureau of Mines, Minerals Availability System (MAS) file
#0060710421.
Comments
Post a Comment
Thank you for your comment. I will review content for spam and such.