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Emerald Village
McKinney and Bon Ami Feldspar Mines Last Updated: May 18th, 2023 Website: http://emeraldvillage.com |
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The Emerald Village
complex is located a few miles from the
North Carolina Mineral Museum. First, take the self guided tour of the Bon Ami Feldspar Mine at Emerald Village . Pay your fees at the retail shop next to the mine cave. In 2016 the Fees were: $8.00 adult. $7.00 seniors (60+), $6.00 students through high school, pre school (free)) The Bon Ami Mine is a typical feldspar mine of the 1920s-1940s. This tour features a brief description of Spruce Pine Pegmatite geology and the mining equipment and feldspar processing techniques of that period. You should plan to last 45 minutes to an hour. |
Take lots of time in the display room at the bottom of the steps. You can watch an excellent video there and see examples of minerals found at the various mines in the area. If you plan to go to the Crabtree Emerald Mine, look at the samples of emeralds in the crabtree matrix so you have a good idea of what to look forwhen you collect at Crabtree.
Collecting at the Emerald Village McKinney Mine Tailings
You can collect from the tailings from the
McKinney Feldspar Mine and Bon Ami Feldspar
mines onsite at Emerald Village. The
procedure is to check in at the main retail
store down McKinney Mine Road from the Bon Ami
Mine. You sign waiver of liability forms
and pay the fees there.
The fee schedule in 2016 was: adults 13 and older-$20, children 12 and under- $10.00
You will need sturdy shoes and some 5gal strong buckets for the samples you collect. You can rent geology hammers if you do not have your own!
The fee schedule in 2016 was: adults 13 and older-$20, children 12 and under- $10.00
You will need sturdy shoes and some 5gal strong buckets for the samples you collect. You can rent geology hammers if you do not have your own!
Here are
some pictures of What you may find at the
Tailings
There is a collection of the minerals found in the McKinney Mine tailings in the Emerald Village office to help you know what to look for when you collect at the tailings.
There is a collection of the minerals found in the McKinney Mine tailings in the Emerald Village office to help you know what to look for when you collect at the tailings.
 Nice pieces of green
muscovite mica (upper left), smoky quartz
(gray), and cream colored potash feldspar.
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 You may find some nice
almandite garnets asscciated with the feldspar
and mica
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 You may find some Unakite;
peach colored feldspar with green epidote
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Photography
and website by Robert S. "Bo" Smith