Dome Base Pit
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View of the pit as of 2019.
The pit became deep enough to warrant an easy way down - thus the steps.
The pit is located at the bottom of the Crystal Dome formation.
View of the bottom crease that has yielded most of the Amazonite.
Amazonite Twins - Baveno & Carlsbad
Hematite - After Siderite Pseodomorph
Iron Oxide After Iron Carbonate
Smoky Quartz In Matrix
The Dome Base Pit was initially dug out using a backhoe in the summer of 2016 by George. It was next to a large boulder that looked solid and was not going anywhere. Over the next couple of years I expanded the hole the old fashioned way. During this period of time, the rain, snow, melting, freezing and thawing began to cause the boulder to crack. I was then able to split sections of the boulder by hand and remove the sections a little at a time.
At the bottom crevice where the boulder met the ground I began to find a number of Amazonite crystals. At first these crystals seemed water damaged and coated with oxide. After extensive cleaning we began to see well-formed individual and twin crystals. John has taken a number of these and after more extensive cleaning, has been able to sell them at the museum. The pit is still being worked and, although a slow process, I continue to find goodies. Hopefully, there will be more and better and I can add to this page.
