Come hunting for HERKIMER DIAMONDS with me (a geologist) in upstate NY
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- I went hunting for HERKIMER DIAMONDS at Ace Of Diamonds Mine in upstate New York! In this video I show you what it was like to mine for these beautiful clear double terminated quartz crystals, and how many beautiful specimens I found in the dirt and rocks. I also tell you about what Herkimer Diamonds are, the rocks they form in (Little Falls Dolostone), what life was like on Earth back when this rock formed, other minerals you can find in the dolostone, and other fun geology facts. If you've ever been curious about visiting somewhere to mine for Herkimer Diamonds, this is the perfect video to answer all your questions about how these crystals came to be. Hopefully you get to visit a mine soon and find some crystals of your own. :)
As always, thanks for watching, and if you enjoyed this feel free to check out some more of my geology related videos!
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everything you need to know about geodes: bit.ly/howaregeodesformed
CHAPTERS
0:00 What are Herkimer Diamonds?
1:15 Can you only find them in Herkimer NY??
1:45 Difference between diamonds and quartz
2:02 Little Falls Dolostone
3:21 500 million years ago
5:04 What you've all been waiting for.. THE ROCKS
5:42 Existential crisis
6:17 How/when did the crystals show up?
7:29 My little British roadtrip
8:07 Hammer time
8:35 Why am I like this
8:52 digging in the dirt
9:38 existential crisis part 2
10:24 panning for 2 seconds
10:53 trek up the mountain
11:26 more rocks and dirt
12:27 is this what fishing feels like?
13:45 close ups!
15:35 thanks for watching :)
When I was about 10, back in around 1959, my parents took us there to dig Herkimer diamonds. At the time, we got the impression that there were some very serious people there. They had "claims" marked off, and they were digging pits. Some of them were deep. Meanwhile, my brother and I just had hand tools used to plant flowers. We were very under equipped. None the less, we found a few diamonds the size of your pinky nail. i did see a could of diamonds that people dug up though the size of your fist. I clearly remember the area where we dug. It was that lower area and the area where you parked. I am amazed that that area looks much as it did 62 years ago.
This was an awesome video. Very well put together. I am not a geologist, but have a good amount of experience with that NY dolostone. From what I've learned:
The smaller crystal formations in question are more than likely dolomite crystals. I've seen it in white, grey, and pink-ish colors.
Generally the calcite in those vugs will look more like the piece you held up. A sort of yellow translucent look. Have found it in petal, or tooth, type of shapes. Sometimes it will mostly fill a small vug, and you may have it grown around a few herkimers of decent size, as well as a collection of very tiny herks. (Free floating and not druzy)
The black inclusions are most likely anthraxolite. I've found some really nice samples of herks with that stuff in it. One specimen in particular has a cool "finger" of anthraxolite growing out of the host rock and up into the middle of a herkimer. Also have a couple small herks that are almost entirely black.
The majority of my experience has been with Crystal Grove in St.Johnsville, NY. Used to know the old owners fairly well. It has an impressive variety of crystal formations in a pretty small area.
Hopefully this information has been helpful, and more importantly, accurate. Herk hunting is an excellent hobby. Awesome to see someone psyched on their experience. Cheers!
First place I've seen mention of Herkimer Diamonds outside of where I get my jewelry! I actually have some earrings with these Quartz crystals. I didn't know they could be found in places other than Herkimer but that makes sense. Thanks for this video! You rock! 😉
I love this video and it’s was super informative! :) In case someone else didn’t comment this already, only Herkimer diamonds from in/around Herkimer NY are considered real Herkimers. There are similar crystals in other countries like you mentioned, but they’re not considered Herkimers
My favorite moment, the gasp of discovery at 12:15, and second, the view of the crystal you found! I agree with one of the other comments: more field trips! Good fun, really good sharing! Thanks again.
Very informative in one of the managers of the Herkimer Diamond mines koa resort
More adventures, please! I really love this video, Beck 💎⚒️
Hi there, most of the pink xls are the dolomite xls. One theory on the formation of vugs is that salt was involved, salt xls grew in sediments creating the cavities/vugs, later the salt was disolved away by water leaving the empty pockets behind! The best way to find xls there is to simply crawl around in the loose sediments after a heavy rain. And then simply just pick them up, mostly tiny perfect ones! You need heavy hammers and chisels to open up a new pocket and days of free time!
Very enjoyable video - I like how you leave some of your misspeaks in there! 🙂
I had a friend that grew up in Middleville and he took me up the hill of a friend's house. His friend's were already up there digging. I was able to find a ton of them all over the ground. Ace of Diamonds is cool too.
I found a 3cm super clear double terminated one there with a Smokey Herkimer crystal inclusion in it when I was like ten (36 now) and I LOVE it.
It’s my favorite crystal! 😬
I need to get back out there the next time I visit family!
I have a coffe can full of them!🏆🏆🏆
Great Video!
Aw yiss field trip! I live in a place with just basalt everywhere and I don't know what to do as a begginner in rock hunting. The geological survey map is just basalt in all the region where I live too. There's basalt beside the roads, in the river, in the river coast, by the college... I know that there's crystal vugs in them too, but I'd loooove to know more about basalt lol
Hello Becky;
I am super impressed by all your YT videos. It is so reassuring that there are youngsters like you so passionate about their chosen subject. It happened to me some 50 odd years ago when Metallurgy was my passion and chosen profession! Really loved your YT video on Volcanos and coffee, also my passions. Please keep doing what you do so well. Admirer from UK.
i realize it is kind of randomly asking but do anyone know a good place to stream newly released series online?
@Guillermo Maison Meh try Flixportal. just google after it:P -danny
@Danny Thiago Thank you, signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D I appreciate it !
@Guillermo Maison Happy to help :D
Dolomite, the tough black mineral that wont cop-out when there's heat all about!
BTW, a bit disappointed in the lack of Futurama dolomite memes xD
Very nice Diamond collecting.
My dig property(paradise falls) is right across river from ace...ace used to be better when they offered the "trophy dig"...it was pricey but worth it...they would basically serve you up a huge pocket.
I been to Herkimer mine a couple times. I found a cool black one and a couple amber colored ones!
Your channel is awesome. Those crystals in the vugs are so EPIC sifting through those rock piles would be so satisfying! Rock hunting in the US is super interesting, but it's still best here in New Zealand :) Keep up the goods work, you're doing great :)
I live in Montana so I am planning a trip to crystal park this summer. Its just a few hours away which is close in MT.
Been looking into collecting, and this is so helpful!
Hey, this was an amazing video that deserves so many more views! You did an amazing job!
I really enjoyed you sharing so much information about how herkimers are formed. We’re going to Ace of Diamonds in a few days and are looking forward to it! We’ve been a few times and it never gets old.
This was an amazing video! Hope to see more videos like this one. Subscribed
I’m going up to herkimer very soon and I’m super excited and trying to study up and learn what I can so I can have a good yeild. Thank you for educating!
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FUN LEARNING CHANNEL .....
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This is cool I remember doing this when I was a kid I got some great diamonds.
I found clusters of these just yesterday in cavities in a rock. Very small, shape only seen under a lens. I had never seen crystals this clear before and was wondering if they were actually quartz. Left the rock there but may go back for it now...
Super cool! My family and I are going to Bancroft, Ontario this summer to hunt for crystals.
Best of luck! There are many places around there to find stunning specimens!
Thank you! I wanted to know about Herkimer diamonds and after hitting a wall of kooks with their infantile magic woo woo I found your video.
Perfect! Just the right mix of geology, chemistry and enthusiasm for "the ugly rocks" I was looking for.
hey! I have that same book.
I find similar crystals (though rarely double terminated) in a much older dolomite (~2.8Ga) Northwest of Lake Superior. The whole thing is very iron-rich, so the dolomite and even some of the quartz are red-tinged.
Very nice
Cool video
Очень интересно( very interesting)
Hi. Love your channel! Which software do you use to show earth (the planet) 500 Mya?
Hey! Thank you! It’s called ancient earth globe, I talk about it a little bit in my video about learning about geology for beginners :)
I always joke about how I break my back hauling those rocks, or making my arms hurt, hitting a bit too many rocks. But it's a great hobby, with a free workout! 💪
I live in the Nederlands, best locations nearby are an hour over in Germany. At the moment though, you have to get tested to enter the country, so I am just waiting for that restriction to get lifted... Quarries in the Netherlands are less interesting, but they aren't even open again to rock hunters at this moment because of the pandemic.
I always like crystals on matrix! A nice matrix will bring out a crystal and it makes it easier to tell the story how those crystals have grown and are found "in the wild". Lovely find that!
And I agree, the rocks without the bling can be fantastic too! During a trip to the Eiffel a few years ago I was at a volcanic site with lots of bling (over 200 different types of minerals) and xenolites, however, I also took a few small pieces of blue and red coloured baked clay, one of them in matrix. Formed when a volcanic eruption altered the surrounding landscape. It's like natural brick. With the non bling, it's the story that's interesting.
My last trip a few months ago, I collected some ammonites, one of about 8 cm (3 inches, for the metrically impaired) and some other fossils. Pretty cool!
Fun fact. The troll faced rock on my profile pic is one of my own finds too, an ironstone with a fossil crabclaw on the back of it (not visible in pic).
V nice vidoe
10:00 XRD? I find sometimes 'competent' calcite only fizzes a little, and 'crud' dolomite fizzes more than normal dolomite.
I'd take a carat of one of these babies any day!
Hey where did you get those posters from?
No need to edit the surface part. I didn't see it as an error. The bottom of the ocean or lake is technically still the surface of the earth. So they fell to the surface. Very interesting stuff, I've always been very interested in plant life, but you now piqued my interest in the chemistry of minerals and rocks.
How long does it take for a crystal like this to form? I suppose different types grow at very different rates. I remember as kid I would grow a big sugar crystal by suspending a string in a saturated sugar solution, which happened over the course of some weeks or maybe months, but I suspect geological crystals grow at rates thousands or millions of times slower than that?
How much does it costs to enter God bless you
Who is planning their next trip to go crystal hunting after this video? 🙋
if you ever visit Phoenix arizona look me up. I've been rock hounding in the south west for 20 years. the most interesting stuff gem quality fire agate (hence the pic) hum? radioactive minerals, a calcite crystal wall. love your show!
I wish... But don't think we got those in Sweden.
Hi let’s go together, my boyfriend was so uninterested and I literally packed up my bag full of rocks to break open at home.
Lmao i cant wait to go again i try to go a few times a year. Got a few nice big ones but im tryin to find a baseball🤩 #moderndaypirates
There are a lot of mines in that area, if you really like just digging mohawk valley mineral mining and crystal grove are some good ones for that. Next year will be my tenth year herkimer mining.
Diamond 10000000$$$$
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Please 🥺 upload new video
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So fluid inclusions are like Kinder Eggs for geologists?
Ahahahah yes exactly
you are sweet, maybe not a real geologist, but real sweet. I like your video! thanks
....I'm curious to know what your definition of a 'real geologist' is and what makes you think I am not one.
@@Geobeck You probably are one, I don't doubt it, I was only joking a bit, no offense, I had no ill intentions. I will delete my comment if you find it not funny.... 👩🦳 this is what a geologist usually looks like. You obviously do not look like this. I am not a geologist either... but I am passionate about rocks and minerals!