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Field CollectingFinch mine Hayden AZ

26th Feb 2018 06:59 UTCVma Buck

So I am going right by this mine on my way back to NM. I have read a little bit about this place and it seems you can find wulfenite there. Does anyone have any experience in this place?

I found the mine on the maps through this site. Can you just go there and dig around the tailings?

26th Feb 2018 14:11 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

My first recommendation would be to inquire about ownership before attempting to access this property. You may want to contact the nearest mineral club in the area and ask about access. Also watch for any signage on the roads leading to the site. If there are "no trespassing" signs, then best to stay away. If there are no signs and no indication of active mining, then I might cautiously go onsite, but be aware that you still may be on someone's private property and asked to leave, sometimes unpleasantly. I know Asarco also holds a lot of land around the Ray/Hayden area, so be mindful of that as well.

Some very nice (albeit small) wulfenites have come from this locality as evidenced by the Mindat page for Finch Mine. I have also heard of small vanadinite crystals from this locality as well.

And as a side note: watch out for the "barking spiders" that occasionally show up; I hear they can be pretty obnoxious to deal with..... ;-)

26th Feb 2018 15:10 UTCChester S. Lemanski, Jr.

This mine was accessible for collecting the last time that I was there (about 7 years ago). Dumps were thoroughly picked over. Collecting underground was possible; however, not recommended unless you really know what you are doing and have all the proper equipment/safety accessories and provided the state has not posted the signs prohibiting this (crime). Claim may have been re-staked since then. Barking spiders may appear at any time, especially after lunch.

26th Feb 2018 15:28 UTCVma Buck

Did the Dutch bring this spider over with them?

26th Feb 2018 22:24 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

How did an Australian spider get there?

26th Feb 2018 22:39 UTCKevin Conroy Manager

The spider came from Outer Space, Uranus if I'm not mistaken.

27th Feb 2018 12:24 UTCChris Rayburn

Pffff-HAAAAA

27th Feb 2018 16:58 UTCDave Owen

I know some who collected there 3-4 years ago. Didn't find much as I recall.

1st Mar 2018 04:31 UTCVma Buck

So I called a local rock shop in Globe AZ and the guy said it was private property but people still go up. I decided not to do that but I did go to that rock shop. Nice guy, a young and spry 82 years old. I asked if they had local Garnet because it is my birthstone and he said it was his as well, he said "Jan 14." That was crazy because that is also my birthday. Random.

While I was at his shop I did get a specimen from Finch mine. It is not the stuff that has that chalcedony all over it like a sugar coating but it is nice and my first piece of Wulfenite from the state I was raised in so I like it that much better. I also asked him if he had any kind of specimen from the Verde Valley - I grew up in Cottonwood AZ near Sedona - and he had some Glauberite from the Camp Verde area. So that was cool. I had never heard of Glauberite but now I have some.

Epic country out there and the mining presence is fairly awesome. If you have not been to this part of the country I suggest the trip. You will not be disappointed...

Finch Mine Wulfenite:

[IMG]http://i68.tinypic.com/2s7yzuq.jpg[/IMG]

Camp Verde Glauberite:

[IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/314e3xt.jpg[/IMG]

The Gila County:

[IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/fnfw8w.jpg[/IMG]

Hayden AZ:

[IMG]http://i65.tinypic.com/f4qtme.jpg[/IMG]

1st Mar 2018 19:20 UTCDave Barnard

Looks like you picked up some nice pieces. I'm a fan of the psuedomorphs you can find in the same area, aragonite, calcite, and gypsum after glauberite. I collected some of the aragonite and calcite from the location back in 2007, after I got my degree in geology. A little road trip to celebrate, I drove in a large loop through Arizona & New Mexico. I didn't get any wulfenite though.

2nd Mar 2018 03:33 UTCVma Buck

We need to have a wishlist thread. He had lot of Wulfenite specimens similar to the one I bought and it was cheap enough I could have bought more and shipped to people if they wanted it.

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