Mud, Sweat, and Clear

Spring is arriving in the Deep South, with four seasons in one day weather, storms, and all the usual stuff. With Spring comes rockhounding weather, and the family and I went on our first dig a few weeks ago.

The location was a rock quarry in the town on Summerville, Georgia. The event was hosted by the Georgia Mineral Society and a group from Alabama. We'd had rain a few days before but the weather was perfect on the day of the event, starting with a cool morning and warming into the afternoon. Of course, the North Georgia clay that is predominant in this area held much of the rainwater so everyone ended their day a bit muddy and sticky but it was well worth it.

Summerville is home to a type of rock known as the Summerville agate. These rocks are a beauty to behold and are found throughout the area. The quarry is also rich in quartz so a great many of the pieces we brought home have bands of clear white quartz running through them.

It was a great way to kick off the 2022 rockhounding season and was soon followed by a trip to Franklin, North Carolina to search for gemstones, but that's another story for another post. Now get out there!

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