[Rockhounds] Crater of Diamonds State Park

[Doug Bank]

I was there way back in 2008. We found a lot of jasper for tumbling, although for some reason I always had a hard time getting it to take a final polish. We also found a tremendous amount of mud ;-) I had to rescue my 7 year old from the mud before he fell and broke his ankles. We rescued his shoes as well, but the socks were left in a garbage can in the parking lot. Given how dry it is, I don’t expect they would have this problem. On the other hand, we also saw a few “industrial” type collectors, and they all used water and a sluice / screen to search for the diamonds.  Looking at my old pictures, I just see a lot of dirt, so a rock hammer or small gardening tools to break up the soil would be advisable, as would be some buckets, screens and gloves (though I think there are screens to be borrowed while there) and sun protection. 

I am sure there are hundreds of YouTube videos that will give accurate information, at least about what the park looks like and the basic tools that are needed. 

I wasn’t in to UV and fluorescent minerals back then, but I am curious what you might find there in the dark with a good 365nm light. Many diamonds fluoresce, and if any of the ones in the visitor center fluoresced, it might be fruitful to scan all the pebbles with a UV light to highlight anything worth picking out of the dirt?

Of course it is also worth stopping in Hot Springs at one of the many rock shops or one of the quartz mines. The Ron Coleman mine is still operating and says they got a new load of dirt just a couple of days ago. We enjoyed digging in the dirt there, with the only caveat being that when we were there, the wind was really strong, which made it difficult to see and made it very dusty. 

As for whether there is kimberlite there, I don’t think so. In recent years they have decided that the local rocks more closely resemble lamproite than kimberlite, not that I could tell the difference. (https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/554/dunndp029.pdf <https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/bitstream/handle/2152/554/dunndp029.pdf>)

Doug

> On Jun 13, 2021, at 9:18 AM, Herwig Pelckmans <herwig.pelckmans at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Ron,
> I strongly recommend a visit, even if they decide not to go searching for
> diamonds afterwards.
> The visitor center is large, the staff very friendly and the displays
> highly educational. And they do have a geologist working there all the
> time, evaluating all the "diamonds" people find (and people find lots of
> them; only the geologist, most of the time does not agree with the people.
> It's only every now and then, when a real diamond shows up, that his eyes
> start to twinkle and that he agrees with the person who told him they had
> found a diamond.
> Way more easy, and not that unimportant: there is a lot of kimberlite to be
> found. I guess the next best thing, if you can't find the real McCoy ...
> Cheers, Herwig
> 
> Op zo 13 jun. 2021 om 15:38 schreef J Bryan Kramer <codeburner at gmail.com>:
> 
>> Wear old clothes, gloves and a hat for the sun. The clay is difficult to
>> get out of clothing. People do occasionally find a stone most of the time
>> the diamonds are brownish yellow but they are diamonds. Their website
>> probably has a lot more info.
>> BK
>> 
>> ““There exists a law…inborn of our hearts…by natural intuition. … If our
>> lives are endangered by plots or violence or armed robbers or enemies, any
>> and every method of protecting ourselves is morally right.””
>> Cicero
>> 
>> J Bryan Krämer       North Florida, USA
>> photos at: http://pbase.com/photoburner
>> 
>> 
>> On Sun, Jun 13, 2021 at 9:28 AM hammerron <hammerron at hotmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> Would anyone have any advice and tell what to expect when collecting at
>>> the Crater of Diamonds State Park in Arkansas (USA).  A friend of mine
>>> asked as they are considering a visit. I know nothing.
>>> 
>>> I see the information on their website but thought people on the list
>>> who have visited might give a good point on view on what to expect.
>>> 
>>> regards,
>>> 
>>> Ron