OTHER GEMS

Blue barite from the Mine Hills near Shirley Basin, Wyoming

During 30 years at the WGS, I found hundreds of deposits. How did I do this? I used geology as a guide; I looked at things differently and was motivated to look and search for mineral deposits.

While conducting reconnaissance, I discovered jasper in several old mines at Tin Cup, in an outcrop near the south edge of the Rattlesnake Hills, and found jasperoid at Quaking Asp Mountain. Some of the Tin Cup jasper is extraordinary and found in masses weighing several hundred pounds. The jasper in the Rattlesnake Hills contained some fossil leaf imprints.

Nearly everywhere I explored, I followed trends and examined geology which lead me to other mineral deposits. I was curious enough to find out what some of the unusual minerals were that I picked up, and as a result, I identified more than a dozen minerals that had never been reported in Wyoming.