So, part of the thing I love the best about having lost so much weight and having so much energy is what all I can physically do.

Back in September (since I live in Nevada), I went opal mining, and yesterday, I went to Tonopah to go do turquoise mining. We dug, broke rocks, and did basically hard labor for 5 and a half hours. Over that time, my garmin recorded me having burned over 1000 calories, and despite my soreness today, I had a blast.

Does anyone else do mining stuff? Does anyone know of any good places? I went opal mining in Virgin Valley in Nevada, and turquoise in Tonopah, Nevada.

There is a public diamond mine in Arkansas. Really just a big dirt field in a state park where you can sift for diamonds. There have been some big finds there occasionally.

https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park

I am a geologist, and I’ve been opal mining someplace just south of Death Valley. It was probably 20+ years ago, so I no longer remember the name. I’ve also been to the diamond mine in Arkansas. Beautiful and interesting geology in that area, and there’s also several places close by where you can dig for some beautiful quartz crystals. Lots of other interesting minerals in the area as well. There’s a series of great books called “The Roadside Geology of [Utah]”. They exist for nearly every state. I’m almost positive there’s one for Nevada. They are great for road trips to explain what you’re seeing, and will mention places that are good for rock collecting/mining/fossil hunting. They are not too technical.

Glad you enjoy digging in the dirt! It’s one of the things that attracted me to the profession. Although now I work in an office and make maps. I haven’t gotten to play around with a rock hammer in years. Maybe once I lose a bit more weight I can get out there again...

I miss Nevada. I lived in Vegas for six years and while I hated the city I loved all the outdoors stuff outside of it. Hiked almost daily in red rock canyon (and lost a lot of weight). On of my favorite things to do was get old Topo maps to look for and explore the old abandoned mines in the desert. We were cautious (as cautious as one could be when doing that sort of thing), like having enough water and light for days and telling someone exactly where we were going and to call for help if we didn’t check in by a certain time... but it was crazy how deep some of them went into the mountains and the spider webs of tunnels, likely dug by hand. I really miss the desert and the mountains. Houston is just flat and sticky...

Thats pretty interesting , I wish there were canyons and mining areas in the UK to do this kind of stuff. I have a metal detector that I use on the beach often but thats about it.

@dal101 I bet there are maps or groups someplace! I’ve always heard about the Jurassic Coast in southern England if you’re into fossils. And there’s lots of metamorphic rocks in Scotland. There’s always weird and unusual minerals in metamorphic areas.

In the UK there are tons of places. I know in Cheshire and Yorkshire have community activities devoted to mining.

On 10/23/2020 at 7:37 PM, Uomograsso said:

There is a public diamond mine in Arkansas. Really just a big dirt field in a state park where you can sift for diamonds. There have been some big finds there occasionally.

https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/crater-diamonds-state-park

I've read about that place. A BIG one was found recently

That's very different and interesting. I didn't know it was a thing.