The-Vug.com brings you this article about the Kyanite that can be found in a small creek bed in a suburb of Philadephia
This is a popular location, as in, it is visited by a rockhound or two every month or so. It is a nice urban location and great spot to collect a specimen or two.
by Justin Zzyzx
Outside of Philadelphia, behind a baseball field in an old early suburban areas, Kyanite of a very decent quality can be obtained, but don’t neglect to bring your rubber gloves!
Prospect Park is a town that lies 11 miles south west of the city of Philadelphia and it is located right along the merge of I-95 and I-476, a good spot for city growth! Most of the growth in the area is in housing, so it is unlikely this site will ever be closed off, due to it’s location next to a place called Morton Homestead. Morton Homestead is protected state owned example of the typical early Swedish cabins built along the coast of Pennsylvania. So, the first couple times I got lost looking for this spot I would just think to myself, “Those Swedish immigrants sure knew how to build a solid house.” while I looped around it a couple times.
This location for Kyanite is located in the creek directly behind Morton Homestead, along the side of a baseball field (and the parking lot next to it). The best way to get to this location is by parking in the baseball field parking lot and walking into the woods into the small trickle of water that is the home to this mineral!
The majority of the trash is at the end the creek, but the best kyanite comes from the beginning of the creek. Matter of fact, bring a trash bag and collect a bag of trash while you are at it. It’s FUN, hey, you are there getting free rocks, right? A great trade for yourself and the environment to pick up a bag of trash on your way out. There are dumpsters near the baseball field. The best technique for finding nice specimens is to scour the coast first and look for the bright blue material in the semi-calm water. Next, start turning over material in the stream with a hoe and let the dirt settle and repeat looking for more blue flashes. It works great. The last time I was there we used that technique and brought home a 2 gallon bucket of great gemmy blue material, lots of single blades, but some excellent clusters as well. A few months after that dig I read an article in Rock and Gem magazine about this location, but the writer lamented about not finding much good material, besides lots of black kyanite. Well, he went there within the week of us picking up all the easy stuff for that month. New material is being weathered out of the ground from the deposit, directly under the stream. After big rains in the area are surely the best times to go collecting here!
To get to this location take I 95 to exit 9, Wanamaker Ave/Rt. 420, Lincon Ave NW. The road will split in two, and then come back together again, at which point you should turn left. This road takes you directly to a baseball field. Park in the parking lot, walk into the woods and you are there.
Click here to see The-Vug Films collecting video and maps on this location!
