In 1942, the Dry Dredgers Society formed, and their goal was and remains today to stimulate interest in geology and encourage the collection and identification of fossils. According to the group’s website, in addition to virtual meetings – held eight or so times a year – the group regularly hosts six to seven field trip outings a year. According to the group’s monthly Bulletin, outings in 2021 are being planned as the group returns to a schedule of outings after a hiatus during much of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the best parts of having video footage of past excursions is the opportunity it provides to revisit a field trip and the discoveries made within. Plus, these “virtual adventures” never truly get old, because there’s always something to learn from the experiences of the fossil hunters involved. This video, from the Dry Dredgers archive and Rock & Gem website archive, finds group members hunting for fossils along a road cut in Indiana.

Enjoy the video footage by Greg Courtney…..

For more information about the Dry Dredgers, visit http://drydredgers.org.

The post Virtual Excursions: Fossil Hunting with the Dry Dredgers first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

If you’ve read Rock & Gem for a while, it’s a good bet you’ve read an article or two that mention the Morrison Formation, which extends across large sections of the western United States.

Far western Oklahoma is one area where the Morrison Formation is present. The Formation contains sedimentary and igneous rocks, the result of remaining mud, silt, sand, and the like in an area that was once, 150 million years ago, a flood plain. It also happens to be a “hot spot” of dinosaur fossil and footprint discoveries.

“The layers tell a story of a time long ago when the landscape here was much different,” said Devin Dennie, Esteem Learning Co., co-founder and reporter.

In a video recently created by the Esteem Learning Co. and posted to the organization’s YouTube channel, Dennie was reporting from one of the various quarries once in the hands of a noted Oklahoman paleontologist, John Wills Stovall. Stovall was one of the pioneers and most prolific of the early discoverers of dinosaur bones in Oklahoma, as well as an instructor at the University of Oklahoma in the 1930s and 1940s, Dennie reports.

Among his discoveries were the fossils of the Acrocanthosaurus atokensis. This particular dinosaur reportedly boasted a fierce series of spines on its back and claws measuring six inches-long on each forearm. The first discovery of the bones took place in Atoka County, Oklahoma.

It’s also interesting to note that this species of dinosaur was similar in appearance and behavior to the notable Tyrannosaurus rex, except that the Acrocanthosaurus atokensis called Earth home millions of years before T-Rex claimed it for its own.

Learn more about this and other discoveries in this region of the U.S., courtesy of Esteem Learning Company.

The post Exploring Oklahoma Morrison Formation Fossils first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

While we are not certain if Ms. Monroe ever stepped foot on the 37 1/2 acre Crater of Diamonds State Park in southwestern Arkansas, we like to believe she’d have found the experience to be a real thrill. 

Some of the reasons I’ve added Crater of Diamonds State Park to my must-visit list include:

• Wide open space for people of all ages to dig in the dirt — great option for socially distant fun

• The park’s “keep what you dig” policy

• It’s a hunt for diamonds, or as the Esteem team calls them “eroded volcanic remnants”, that takes place in the original volcanic source

Esteem Team’s Tip: Look for areas within the park where a good concentration of gravel exists for a better chance to find a diamond.

Throughout the Esteem Education Co. produced video, Park Ranger and Interpreter Waymon Cox, provides intriguing details about the park’s geological makeup and history, the average size of diamonds found at the park, and the crucially important wet sifting technique of Rocking, Tapping, and Turning. 

Enjoy a dig day at Crater of Diamonds State Park ….

Crater of Diamonds State Park is currently open daily. It is located at 209 State Park Rd., Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Dig tickets are required, and the cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children. 

Rock & Gem Tip: Be sure to reserve time to dig well in advance. Only 1,500 ticket-holder dig site visitors are allowed daily, and tickets sell out regularly. 

For more information about Crater of Diamonds State Park, visit the site, or call 870-285-3113.

Be sure to search our video library to enjoy more videos by Esteem Learning Co., and visit their YouTube channel >>>

The post Virtual Excursion: Crater of Diamonds State Park first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

By Antoinette Rahn
Managing Editor, Rock & Gem

Graves Mountain in Lincoln County, Georgia is a familiar name within rockhounding circles, as it is one of the most prolific sites in Georgia, with a multitude of minerals extracted from the site every year. 

The timeless video shown below from 2010, shot and produced by Richard and Sandy Jacquot, owners of American Rockhound (www.wncrocks.com), featured members of the Mountain Area Gem & Mineral Association (www.wncrocks.com/magma/magma.html) enjoying a dig day at Graves Mountain. 

One of the most enjoyable aspects of this video is the interactions with various club members as they discuss their discoveries. The locality is divided into the upper pit (2 sections) and the lower pit, and as Richard explains, the formation of the area dates back 310 to 280 million years ago. Historically, Graves Mountain was a primary producer of kyanite in the U.S. Yet, it is also famous for rutile, lazulite, striking iridescent hematite, as well as pyrophyllite, ilemnite, fuchsite, and cacoxen­ite, among others. 

American Rockhounds: Graves Mountain, Part 1 © Richard Jacquot

The sights and sounds of rockhounds on the hunt at Graves Mountain are music to the senses, as you learn more about this site, which Smithsonian Magazine includes on its list “Five of the Best Places to Go Gem Hunting.”

Caretaker of the mine, Clarence Norman, Jr (Junior), does offer public digging at the site by appointment. In addition, in April and October, he and his wife, Melissa, host Rock Swap & Dig events. The site is owned by Asea Brown Boveri (ABB), a Swiss-Swedish multinational conglomerate based in Zurich. For more information, contact Norman at 706-359-1544. 

Plus, look for more videos by American Rockhounds on our website and on the American Rockhounds TV YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/wncrocks

The post Dig Day at Graves Mountain (Part 1) first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

As you may have seen in other posts on our site and social media, various members of the Rock & Gem community regularly contribute or share content with us to pass along to the rest of the audience. Thomas G. Farley is one of these community members and a prolific rockhound.

With the majority of people living life at least a bit differently now than before mid-March, some, like Farley, are investing more time and attention to their favorite activities. It’s not only a matter of often having more time; for some, it’s also about a change in perspective. Can you relate?

Digging In To Explore

As such, Farley is spending more time these days, as he explains on his blog at www.southwestrockhounding.com, “exploring for my own enjoyment and to document places little covered, media-wise, for Wikimedia Commons.”

He spent some time in Washington County, Utah, enjoying a rockhounding adventure or two while practicing social distancing in places like Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area. This area also exists along the borders of Nevada and Arizona near the southwestern corner of Utah. Within the NCA’s 63,500 acres, under the guidance of the Bureau of Land Management, a variety of trees, brush, flowers, and vegetation exist. Also, desert bighorn sheep and the Mojave Desert tortoise, which happens to be a threatened species of animal, call the area home, according to information from www.blm.gov.

We’ll examine and share more of Farley’s videos from his rockhounding adventures, but to see the videos as he posts them, search for his name on Wikimedia Commons. Or, follow him on Instagram @tgfarley.

Our thanks to Mr. Thomas Farley, for providing all of us with virtual views of glorious rockhounding destinations.

The post Aiming for Virtual Adventures: Beaver Dam Wash National Conservation Area first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Editor’s Note: This blog post is part of our Aiming for Virtual Adventures series. Each post features a short video created by various organizations and individuals, such as Esteem Interactive Learning, featuring exploration and discussion focused on and related to geology, mineralogy, paleontology, and other earth sciences. This series of posts is one way we hope to provide ideas and opportunities for continuous learning, exploration, and finding inspiration during the restrictions put in place in response to the coronavirus pandemic, and beyond. 

Natchitoches, Louisiana, is one of the places on mine and my husband, Tom’s, list of must-visit destinations. Upon visiting New Orleans recently, we heard many great things about a variety of places in Louisiana. Still, Natchitoches seemed to be the overwhelming favorite among our discussions with NOLA locals.

Being natives of the Upper Midwest, we aren’t as familiar with some of the rich history of this part of the country. However, while researching plans for a future trip to Natchitoches, when it’s widely safe to travel and gather with others, I discovered that the El Camino Real  (Royal Road) begins in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana.

In this video, geologist Devin Dennis, one of the founders of Esteem Interactive Learning, leads us on a fascinating journey from one end of the Real to the other, beginning in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. During Dennis’ adventure, he also discusses various aspects of the geology of the area and how it has changed over time.

Word of Wisdom

There are several interesting and helpful words used and described by Dennis in this video, and below is one to know.

Hydrology: A science dealing with the properties, distribution, and circulation of water on and below the earth’s surface and in the atmosphere, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

About ESTEEM: Esteem Interactive Learning is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation formed for the purposes of earth science outreach through multimedia vehicles such as video, television and the internet. Founded by geologist Devin Dennie and filmmaker Todd Kent, EMI has produced educational content such as the TV series “North Texas Explorer” and the documentary films “RocksHounds: The Movie” and “Oklahoma Rocks!”

For more information about Esteem Interactive Learning, visit www.explorermultimedia.org.

The post Aiming for Virtual Adventures: El Camino Real first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

A little more than a year ago, we began a partnership with Esteem Interactive Learning (www.explorermultimedia.org), to share some of the short videos created by this incredibly talented, intelligent, and passionate team. This non-profit organization’s mission involves creating awareness and interest in earth sciences, particularly geology, geophysics, meteorology, geography, archaeology, and related fields of study.

After a bit of a hiatus, we are getting back to sharing these fascinating videos, created by this extraordinary team.

The first time I heard about Dinosaur Ridge, near Morrison, Colorado, was in an article about dinosaur tracks, which was written by Rock & Gem prolific contributor and columnist Steve Voynick. In the featured video, geologist Devin Dennis, one of the founders of Esteem, explores sections of Dinosaur Ridge, discusses the geologic makeup of the formations in that region, and reveals some fascinating fossils and tracks. One of my favorite parts of this video is when Dennis focuses on a unique find, a dinosaur track wherein layers of stone had eroded or millennia, providing a view of the track from underneath, instead of above. It’s incredibly cool!

Also, the views of the Dinosaur Ridge area featured in this video are breathtaking.

Word Wisdom

There are several interesting and helpful words used and described by Dennis in this video, and below is one to know.

Hogback: This is a ridge of land formed by the outcropping edges of tilted strata, as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

About ESTEEM: Esteem Interactive Learning is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) corporation formed for the purposes of earth science outreach through multimedia vehicles such as video, television and the internet. Founded by geologist Devin Dennie and filmmaker Todd Kent, EMI has produced educational content such as the TV series “North Texas Explorer” and the documentary films “RocksHounds: The Movie” and “Oklahoma Rocks!”

For more information about Esteem Interactive Learning, visit www.explorermultimedia.org.

The post Aiming for Virtual Adventures: Dinosaur Ridge first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

“Ya got to get your hands down in there. Mining is dirty business, ya know.”

This gem of truth is something Jim Wines, owner of JNE Lapidary, Inc. has likely said hundreds of times over the years. It’s a statement you’ll hear him utter in the video below. In it, Mr. Wines, a resident of Dickinson, Texas, assists a young rockhound with her discovery of treasures courtesy of the Mobile Gem Mining Sluice.

Mr. Wines built the sluice operation as an extension of his lapidary business. The mobile unit allows the military veteran and electronics engineer to share the wonder and joy of casual mining exploration. He does this by bringing the experience to people in their own communities and neighborhoods.

As you’ll see in the video, which is the work of our new partner, Esteem (Explorer Multimedia, Inc.,) rockhounds of all ages flock to the Mobile Gem Mining Sluice to give mining a try. This video was shot in 2014, during the Arlington Gem & Mineral Show. It’s one of many filmed and produced by Esteem. I thoroughly enjoy Mr. Wines’ inviting personality and the manner that he informs the ‘visiting miners’ of the treasures they uncovered during their exploration.

Enjoy the short video…..

In addition, the renew/reuse approach and ingenuity Mr. Wines used to construct the sluice operation is just one more thing to admire about this exciting and inspiring operation of exploration education.

Thanks to the team of Esteem for allowing me to share this video with our Rock & Gem community. Esteem is a not-for-profit with a goal of providing engaging earth science and geology education through multimedia platforms. The founders, Devin Dennie and Todd Kent, are the visionaries behind this organization, which includes in its credits “RockHounds: The Movie,” the “Geology Kitchen” series, “Oklahoma Rocks,” and “Everyday Earth,” an interactive science education program, among other projects.

Be on the lookout for more videos from the Esteem team to appear on our site.

The post Mining And Learning On the Move first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

The post Video Glossary first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Geology Kitchen: What Is a Mineral? © Explorer Multimedia
http://www.geologykitchen.com/ep01.html

Geology Kitchen: Identifying Minerals © Explorer Multimedia
http://www.geologykitchen.com/ep02.html

Geology Kitchen: Clastic Sedimentary Rocks © Explorer Multimedia
http://www.geologykitchen.com/ep03.html

The post Geology Videos first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.