Outdoor Recreation

ROCKHOUNDING: THEY SAY IT'S THE GREATEST HOBBY ON EARTH

Arizona's beauty is more than skin deep. Some of our state's most spectacular sights lie beneath the sur-face - in the form of gems and brilliantly colored minerals. Folks who have discovered this also have found a unique way to see Arizona: rockhounding in search of fire agate in the grasslands near Safford, gold in the forests along Lynx Creek, cinnabar atop the high reaches of Mount Ord.

"Not many people know that Arizona is the largest producer of gem minerals in the United States," says Leroy Kissinger, director of the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum, a state agency whose mission is to promote the development of mineral resources. "Gem collecting and rockhounding certainly do that." Now housed in the old El Zaribah Temple at 15th Avenue and Washington Street in Phoenix, the museum is a magnet for rock hounds. The staff and volunteers there understand more about gems and minerals than anyone you could hope to meet.

Museum guide Alice Rosenfeld gave me the grand tour. "It's the greatest hobby on Earth," she says.

A wonderful place, this museum is filled with shimmering blues and greens and reds. One case displays exquisite faceting by the award-winning Jerry Muchna: quartz, citrine, and aqua-marine cut to grace a queen. A special charmer is a four-inch-high group of "toadstools," formed of brilliant, clear quartz.

In another exhibit, there's a piece of petrified palm tree - off-white with black specks and streaks where the ancient vascular system ran through the wood. There are scepters of amethyst, chunks of peridot (the state stone of Hawaiitheir native supply depleted, Hawaiians buy all their peridot from Arizona these days), pieces of chrysolite, gems of tourmaline, and fluorescent stones of all kinds.

"Imagine what it's like to go on a trip and find beautiful minerals," says Bea Spangenberg, the museum's volunteer coordinator. "In Potts Canyon, they find geodes that fluoresce. And the camaraderie that these groups provide is a wonderful feeling. If you want to see Arizona, this is the only way to do it."

utdoor Recreation

and find beautiful minerals," says Bea Spangenberg, the museum's volunteer coordina-tor. "In Potts Canyon, they find geodes that fluoresce. And the camaraderie that these groups provide is a wonderful feeling. If you want to see Arizona, this is the only way to do it."

If you'd like to get to know Arizona through its mineral riches, the Arizona Mineral Museum (1502 W. Washington St., Phoenix, AZ 85007; telephone (602) 255-3791) is the place to start. Staffers and volunteers can provide a directory of clubs in towns throughout the state.

These clubs organize more than 20 field trips during the winter months in search of such delights as agate at Burro Creek, jasper at Seven Springs, and tourmaline, geodes, and Apache tears near Wickenburg. Members also publish "Earth Science Clubs in Arizona," a free list of shows and dealers.

In the Valley of the Sun, the major clubs include the Maricopa Lapidary Society, the Mineralogical Society of Arizona, and the Arizona Leaverites Rock and Gem Society. For information about any of the clubs, call the museum.

The Maricopa Lapidary Society sponsors the Phoenix Gem and Mineral Show in late February and early March, and it offers monthly field trips led by club member Elmer Miller and eminent lapidary author Martin Koning. The big Tucson Gem and Mineral Show is set for February 12-16.

The Mineralogical Society boasts micromounting expert Jeff Scovil, whose tiny specimens and accompanying photographs are an art form. And the Leaverites ("Leave 'er right there") lap-idary club holds classes in jewelry making and also sponsors trips.

Good hunting.

WHEN YOU GO

Gems and minerals, like gold, are where you find them. Good prospecting sites usually can be found in most mineralized areas such as the Cerbat Mountains, the Bradshaws, Black Mountains, the Mule Mountains, and others. Check for signs along washes and streams, old mine tailings and quarries, and where roadwork has exposed rocky hillsides. There also are places in Arizona where rock hounds have been hunting successfully for years. For specific sites and directions, contact your local rock shop.