Specular Hematite Mine Tailings in Champion, Michigan

[@storytimewithunclebill1998]

That was a straight up climb. Another cool spot. Was fun to watch. Great video

[@deetngator1624]

I definitely want to come to Michigan one day!! It looks like it will take a month visit to see everything

[@MichiganRocks]

If you're coming for a month, pick one without snow.

[@deetngator1624]

Have to remember that. I am in Tennessee. Doesn't do much here

[@MichiganRocks]

@@deetngator1624 My sister lives in TN. I hate when she sends me pictures of her garden blooming in the spring when we're still up to our ears in snow here.

[@deetngator1624]

I am envious of your snow

[@MichiganRocks]

If you have a truck, you’re welcome to come get some in a few months. No charge.

[@ReikiGemWellness]

What a fabulous area to explore! Did you take anything home with you?

[@MichiganRocks]

Nope, I don't really have a use for specular hematite.

[@SyntaxMSU]

So is there any way to magnetize this stuff to turn it into a decorative magnet (like heating it in the presence of a strong magnetic field)? I've seen them sold at tourist shops but some sources I've read say those are all fake.

[@MichiganRocks]

I read that those are fake too. Hematite is not supposed to be magnetic. I don't know if there's a way to make it magnetic. Magnetite is magnetic, but that's a different mineral. geology.com/minerals/hematite.shtml

[@elliemonagle7319]

Have you checked out the Caledonia mines in Ontonagon, Michigan? I went there last summer and had excellent luck. Found native copper and a ton of gems. It is fee mining on private property, but they give each person a fairly large, un-picked through plot to search through with lots of precious stones; so it’s worth it! Definitely would recommend!

[@elliemonagle7319]

Also, the website says it’s closed, but I believe they still take reservations? At least they did for my family. 🤷‍♀️

[@MichiganRocks]

I think that’s one that my wife went to as part of a summer class she took at Michigan Tech. My kids and I hit the free ones that day. Did you find any datolite?

[@elliemonagle7319]

Michigan Rocks I’m not entirely sure how to identify it, but I believe I got a small piece. We got a ton of Malachite, too!

[@MichiganRocks]

@@elliemonagle7319 I've never found malachite. I have found small amounts of chrysocolla. Datolite looks like cauliflower on the outside. When it's sliced open, it can be all sorts of pastel colors. It's really cool stuff. I haven't found one yet though.

[@oldgamerchick]

If you find any hematite would you make a video on tumbling. I live in an area in Texas with hematite every where. I want to tumble some but, I have heard it's not easy. You can test hematite by scratching it on a unglazed tile. I just had paper but, it still left a red streak. Hematite is an iron oxide. One of several types. It is not magnetic. It can appear rusty red or black with a silvery look. I know this is an old video. But, I hope you read this. Thank you OGC aka Michal Wintz

[@MichiganRocks]

I have a video coming out on Tuesday showing some. I think hematite varies some, mine is banded iron formation, but I had a pretty nice specular hematite in the batch too. I used the method in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaTVnqOGj9d0q7c

[@lisawells1064]

I feel like I'm on a field trip with you on these videos...so cool...thanks! I love HIS beautiful rocks!!! HIS creation is amazing!

[@MichiganRocks]

God sure made some interesting stuff for us to discover.

[@jimknarr]

Do you have location of which mine tailings dump you are at since there are a lot of them in the area? Also, I see there is a Trimountain mine tailings to the north. Do you know if all mine tailings in Champion and Trimountain are open free to the public?

[@MichiganRocks]

As far as I know, collecting is ok at Champion Mine. It's not posted and I have collected there several times. I have never heard of Trimountain Mine. I was here: www.google.com/maps/@46.5075476,-87.9890315,575m/data=!3m1!1e3 Turn off 41 at the post office. Follow the road through town and watch for the mine on your left. You can't actually see it, but you can see that there's a lack of trees and no houses in that area. On Google Maps, the road you take to the mine is labeled "AT". I'm not sure if that's what it is in real life, but all the roads have strange letter names, so it's probably accurate. You drive very close to a garage in someone's back yard. At that point, I just find a pile, park and start exploring.

[@captpaul8827]

I believe you're confusing the Champion iron mine near the town of Champion in Marquette County with the Champion copper mine near Painesdale (and just south of the Trimountain Mine) in the Keweenaw. This video was shot at the Champion iron mine.

[@jimknarr]

@@captpaul8827 Thanks for the heads up! Do you know of a few other mines in Western UP that are open free to the public like this one as well as the Cliff mine?

[@captpaul8827]

@@jimknarr Typically, I don't like to give information on collecting sites because ownership can change overnight and I am not one for unwittingly trespassing on someone's property. However, I know the Clark Mine southeast of Copper Harbor is accessible. As far as I know, the Michigamme Mine behind Mt. Shasta Restaurant is open to collectors, as is the Taylor Mine south of L'Anse. As always, it is best to inquire about ownership before going...

[@jimknarr]

@@captpaul8827 Paul, appreciate the help and info. I was curious more than anything since it is a rarely discussed topic. Thanks!

[@Kanjo16]

Is that a regular road or do you need ORV sticker to get back there?

[@MichiganRocks]

It seemed like a regular road. I was in a two wheel drive Jeep Cherokee. I don’t think I needed an ORV sticker.

[@captpaul8827]

Just seeing many of these comments. Champion is chock full of minerals if you have the patience to look. I have one of the biggest apatite crystals to ever come out of Champion. Schorl tourmaline is also found there, and nearby are the chamosite replaced garnets as well.

[@MichiganRocks]

I really don't know too much about mineral collecting. I'm more interested in finding pretty rocks that I can polish. I would love to go there with someone who knows a lot more than I do and learning more about the different minerals.

[@jackwarren631]

Would love to go looking around with ya I don’t know next to anything but am from south east Michigan and want to learn more and look for rare stones even if success rate is low I think it’s so cool and Michigan presents a unique opportunity for Variety trying to learn through the winter where I can go and what I can look for.

[@TwinklingTreasuresUP]

I have found so many minerals here it’s amazing

[@TwinklingTreasuresUP]

@@MichiganRockshey I make things out of the dust!! I sift and epoxy it and know a little about the rocks there! I have found lots of cool rocks and would love to show you some!

[@HandsWithLegs]

Love that spot! If you find the right pile you can find black tourmaline crystals in quartz

[@MichiganRocks]

Really? I wouldn't even know what to look for. Do you have pictures?

[@HandsWithLegs]

Michigan Rocks I do, but not of the exact place where you can find them, and I’m not sure how to add a picture to a comment to show you. At the champion mine dump they are mostly in the tallest biggest mound and look like little black fibers, mostly in quartz but not always

[@MichiganRocks]

@@HandsWithLegs You can't post a picture here, but I wish you could. I'll try to find some next time I'm there. Your description should help.

[@rebeccagoldberg8333]

Love the sparkling road! Do you suppose the larger rocks would slice up nicely? That rock would be cool for coasters.

[@MichiganRocks]

The sparkly road looks much more sparkly in person, and so do the rocks. These rock are pretty crumbly. They leave a trail of sparkles behind them. There's a rock shop near here at the Yooper's Tourist Trap that sells some of these. They coat them all with some sort of clear coating, lacquer or epoxy, or something similar. I think that would be the best way to keep them from making a mess. That's how I'd make coasters.

[@freedomdove]

Hello. Is it possible to gather rock specimens from this area?

[@MichiganRocks]

Yep.

[@freedomdove]

Very cool. Can you tell me the road(s) you took to get there? Like from the post office in Champion?

[@MichiganRocks]

@@freedomdove Take the road that the post off is on up the hill. It’s off to the left somewhere. I don’t remember the name of the road, but you’ll be able to tell that the mine tailings pile is back there. The road looks like it’s going into someone’s back yard. It’s really easy to see on google maps.

[@freedomdove]

Would it be the "Champion mine dump" I'm seeing on the map?

[@MichiganRocks]

freedom dove yep. I just looked at the map. Looks like it’s the road label “AT”. Lovely street names in that town. I’d love to know how they were named. The rock piles appear gray on the satellite view as you would expect.

[@MichiganRocks]

I'm not sure if this is called the Champion Mine or the Beacon Mine. If anyone knows for sure which it is, please leave a comment. www.mindat.org/loc-3839.html

[@TwinklingTreasuresUP]

More people call it the Champion Mine but I think it is considered both!

[@GreenFairy1956]

dear I love your videos and above all what you find, I love fossils but I live in ITALY in MILAN, so fossils not even the shadow, do you sell some pieces even raw? I would like a small fossilized coral stone, thanks for the reply hello

[@MichiganRocks]

I sell a few things locally, but no online sales. Shipping to Italy wold be pretty expensive.

[@GreenFairy1956]

you are really kind compliments for your passion thanks

[@wyomingadventures]

Nice area. Is that from iron ore? I know Minnesota has some iron ore. That big shiny rock was nice. But won't want to pack that out.

[@MichiganRocks]

Yes, it's specular hematite. No need to pack these rocks out very far. The roads are right next to the piles.

[@wyomingadventures]

@@MichiganRocks that's good. I have packed rocks off the mountain and thought what am I doing. Workout.

[@carolynwheeler8934]

I watched your Mozarkite and Banded Iron Formation - Rocks in a Box 64 last night with my grandson. He's 5 and loves to help grandma polish rocks. I was wondering it you could put me in touch with someone who sells the Banded Iron (specular hematite) rocks. I love the black and silver bands and my grandson was fasinated. I only want a pound or so of them. Thanks for your great videos and all the information!

[@MichiganRocks]

Kingsley North sells it. They call it jaspelite, but it's banded iron formation. It's not specular hematite, though. I'm not sure where to buy specular hematite. Specular hematite is pretty messy. Sparkly dust comes off in your hands when you handle it. kingsleynorth.com/jaspilite-upper-michigan.html?ref=robertabram1& (affiliate link).

[@carolynwheeler8934]

@@MichiganRocks Thanks! I just ordered 2 lbs from them. I hope it is as pretty as the ones you polished! Thanks again1

[@deniseangonese564]

What was hematite mined for ? I had a hematite ring as a little girl. I lost it and was heartbroken 💔

[@MichiganRocks]

Hematite is an iron ore. I'm no expert on geology or minerals, so I can't tell you exactly why this was all considered waste material. My guess is that the stuff in these piles was low grade material and some better iron ore was mined here. This seems like some good info: www.esci.umn.edu/courses/1001/minerals/hematite.shtml This page says that hematite used in jewelry is not actually hematite. I'm not sure if that applies to your childhood ring or not. www.mindat.org/min-1856.html

[@findingrocks81]

if you currently had a dirt road going in to your home, maybe you could get a couple dump trucks full of the stuff, and have it crushed in to small pieces at a nearby plant, then delivered to your property. Then use simple machinery to spread out and build a sparkling crushed rock road leading to your home.

[@MichiganRocks]

That would look awesome, but you’d have to wipe your feet extra well!

[@thomasdykstra100]

If you haven't yet, you need to slab and polish some up...it can sparkle and shine like a midnight sky--indigo blue!

[@MichiganRocks]

I tumbled a piece of this in a recent video on rocks to avoid tumbling. It actually tumbled better than I thought it would. It wasn't great, but it wasn't horrible either. Have you cabbed this stuff? Can you make a cab that isn't crumbly? I can't touch this material without having sparkly dust all over my hands.

[@thomasdykstra100]

@@MichiganRocks , it might be that the surface of much of what you saw and touched at the mine was oxidized, rotten and decomposing, and this was the material you found on your hands. This is a micaceous dust--the very material that catches the light and shines out like stars from the stable matrix... I'm guessing you would have removed all the loose surface material when you tumbled it; you might take one of those pieces to cab from. The piece I collected and am working with (~10 lbs) came out of a large Grand River deposit of mixed glacial rubble in eastern Ottawa County--naturally "tumbled". It was the only piece I've found (so far), and stood out because of its pretty, bluish cast. You must cut through into the "quick" of the stone; and yes, it can be cabbed, polished and made into desirable jewelry! The only "downside" (not really "bad") is a light, sulfur-pyrite smell at its polished surface (it IS an iron source, after all). You might also look at online examples under another name for it, "specularite". ALL THE BEST, and enjoy Pure Michigan!

[@MichiganRocks]

@@thomasdykstra100 I only have small pieces, so they might be degraded all the way through. Maybe when I'm up that way again, I'll grab a bigger piece to slab. Thanks for the tips!

[@thomasdykstra100]

@@MichiganRocks , just wanted to say: specular hematite tests out at 5-6 on Moh's scale (PLENTY hard for lapidary work); someone further below commented on its similarity to phyllite in appearance, but specular hematite is NOT at all loosely laminate or "foliated" like phyllite...and will NOT crumble or fall apart in handling. Also, there is some range in fineness of the mica particles.

[@wade_w]

Awesome! Thanks for uploading I love your videos and I've been having the WORST day! Just a question but what do you do when you're mad? Any activity that helps?

[@MichiganRocks]

I wasn't expecting that sort of question on a rock video. I'm sorry you've had a bad day. I pray when I'm upset.

[@wyomingadventures]

@@MichiganRocks great advice. Put it into God's hands is what I do.

[@gasmask9157]

Michigan Rocks when I get angry I act like the Angry Grandma not grandpa because destroying expensive things is just foolish

[@jeannieschannel1107]

That was one steep hill. Your going to stay young and healthy climbing those! LOL

[@MichiganRocks]

The really steep and tall hill is on the back side of the pile. I didn't attempt to go down that because I would have probably ended up rolling down.

[@TwinklingTreasuresUP]

I climb these hills every day in the summer to find pretty rocks and didn’t realize how many people have seen these hills 🩵🩵

[@cactuswren9771]

Some of that shiny black mineral that glints bright in the sun at certain angles looks like big hornblende layers in the amphibolite schist. The iron formation they mined is the Negaunee Iron Formation of red banded iron. The host rock is a gray swirled metamorphic rock called taconite. Taconite can also sometimes be pistachio green with epidote. It is created by enrichment of metals-rich fluids under heat and pressure. This wiki lists several of the other minerals found in the taconite of that Champion region of the UP. One mineral, cummingtonite, is in the asbestos group. Dangerous pollutant in the water from the mining. Next time you go back up there, you'll know what other minerals to look for. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taconite

[@MichiganRocks]

Cactus Wren I read the list of minerals that can be found here before I went. The list is long. I’m not really a mineral collector. I only bring home rocks that I can polish or make something out of. I’ve made the mistake of hauling home rocks that just sit in boxes. Michigan’s U.P. has an amazing variety of minerals for those who are interested in them. It would be fun to go to some of these tailings piles with someone who knew what they were looking at. If I lived in that area, I would definitely join one of the rock and mineral clubs. Unfortunately, we don’t have a club anywhere in this area. I’m glad you’ve been commenting on my videos. You have a lot of knowledge.

[@cactuswren9771]

@@MichiganRocks Thank you, Rob. I confess... retired geology (volcanology, tectonics and geomicrobiology) professor here. Not only do I love rocks, I love sharing learning. Bottom line is that someone loves the rocks and thinks they are beautiful and wonderful. Beyond that, the rest is just frosting on the cake. Have you ever thought of YOU forming a mineral club in your area for shared fun and learning? I bet lots of people would learn a lot from you (I do!) and you'd learn from them too. Do you teach people to cut and polish rocks too? Clubs are good for that... pooling resources and buy club lapidary equipment and group rock expeditions etc. Solitude is good though too. But sometimes fun to go with others and share gas money! :))

[@MichiganRocks]

Cactus Wren I’m going to retire in a couple years. Until then, I hardly have time for what I’m doing now. I do enjoy talking to people about rocks and lapidary though, so a club would be fun.

[@captpaul8827]

@@MichiganRocks I know I'm a little late on this, but the closest club to you (that I know of) is in Roscommon called the Mikenauk Rock and Gem Club. They are a small but great group of folks interested in minerals, fossils, and lapidary. Occasionally, they also take field trips to various locations around the area.

[@MichiganRocks]

@@captpaul8827 That's almost two hours away, not really close enough. There used to be a club here in Alpena at one time, from what I've heard.

[@ShoonitStSinta]

Will there be a video with your finds from this place? also, ginger with an orange shirt- BIG no no

[@MichiganRocks]

Shoonit St. Sinta no, because I didn’t bring in anything home from there. I don’t find specular hematite enjoyable to work with. It’s pretty crumbly. It’s fun to go look at, but if I brought it home, it would just set in my basement taking up space. I have learned this lesson the hard way. I’m pretty selective about what I bring home these days. On the orange shirt suggestion, I wish that was all I had to worry about with him! Also, that would mean that he couldn’t hunt deer, right?

[@ShoonitStSinta]

"it would just set in my basement taking up space. I have learned this lesson the hard way. I’m pretty selective about what I bring home these days. " i had the same problem with men :(((

[@MichiganRocks]

Shoonit St. Sinta that’s funny!

[@JanVafa]

You should do a collaboration with MeMiner there!

[@MichiganRocks]

I know, @meminer would probably be a lot more knowledgeable about the different minerals there.

[@MichiganRocks]

@@pietmondrianstudent6984 I agree. Therefore, I'll meet him at the specular hematite pile and keep the puddingstone location a secret.

[@ph11p3540]

Personally I would never walk near or over an old tiling mound or field without first knowing the history of the mine. Hematite or iron mines leave behind mildly toxic process compounds in their tilings. Gold, silver and other rare metal mine tilings are very toxic if they are not entombed after decommissioning of the mine. If the gold mine tilings are not entombed or properly stabilized they are very toxic and unstable to walk over. A lot of west US gold and silver mines that are closed are completely off limits and should be avoided at all costs because the tilings may contain arsenic or cyanide based process compounds in the soil. Some of these old mines qualify as Super Fund sites they are so dangerous.

[@MichiganRocks]

Thanks, but I don't think this site is dangerous. Lots of people go here, and there are no warning signs. I didn't lick any rocks either! Here's the Mindat page, is there anything that looks dangerous on there (besides gold)? www.mindat.org/loc-3839.html

[@jeffclarkofclarklesparkle3103]

First couple looked like phyllite

[@MichiganRocks]

I had to look that one up. I just checked the mindat page for this mine and that isn't listed. The vast majority of the rock here is specular hematite. www.mindat.org/loc-3839.html