OTHER GEMS

During 30 years at the WGS, I found hundreds of deposits. How did I do this? I used geology as a guide; I looked at things differently and was motivated to look and search for mineral deposits.

While conducting reconnaissance, I discovered jasper in several old mines at Tin Cup, in an outcrop near the south edge of the Rattlesnake Hills, and found jasperoid at Quaking Asp Mountain. Some of the Tin Cup jasper is extraordinary and found in masses weighing several hundred pounds. The jasper in the Rattlesnake Hills contained some fossil leaf imprints.


Nearly everywhere I explored, I followed trends and examined geology which lead me to other mineral deposits. I was curious enough to find out what some of the unusual minerals were that I picked up, and as a result, I identified more than a dozen minerals that had never been reported in Wyoming.
Above - barite from Mine Hills, Shirley Basin. Middle- a group of cabochons cut from various material. Below - beautiful jasper from Tin Cup & me standing in old prospect pit. These prospects were reported as having high-grade gold values. I found no gold & likely these were left over from various gold mining frauds and scams from the 1800s. Note the large mass of jasper to my right (probably a few tons of high quality material).




Left - Labradorite feldspar collected by Norma Beers in the road bed of Albany County 12 in Albany County. This is just one of millions of gem-quality feldspar found in this area - yet this resource remains unexplored.