CK Williams Quarry

Date: 5/27/2023 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Location: 701 N. Delaware Dr., Easton, PA 18042

Collecting Site(s):   CK Williams Quarry.   PA - 611 W  Easton, PA    Far western end of Franklin Marble, heavily altered to Serpentine, Asbestiform minerals and various Micas.  Pegmatite bodies present with Feldspar, Quartz, Micas, Schorl, Titanite, and associated minerals.  Some radioactives present, mostly disseminated.  ***for GPS use – put in “ 701 N. Delaware Dr.  Easton, PA 18042 “   - this is address of Easton Water Bureau and is an old brick bldg. right next to where we park ***      

Date:  Sat Apr. 29                         

Meet-Up Time: 9:40 am  SHARP

*** Trip starts 20 minutes MAX. from meet-up time !!!! ***
Meeting Place:  (parking area for / pull-off) CK Williams Quarry.  Look for an electrical tower just past an old brick building (Water Bureau bldg.); this is 1 parking area.  Pull-off / other parking area is directly opposite side of road.   CARPOOLING IS ENCOURAGED IF POSSIBLE  
 
Trip Notes:  Collecting at CK Williams Quarry will be approximately 10:15 am to whenever.  Will involve stops at the Franklin marble exposure, Delaware River bank digging areas, pegmatite area.  2 resident experts from PESA will be on hand to guide us to specific areas of interest.  

** Be aware of presence of ASBESTOS mineralization as well as TRACE RADIOACTIVE mineralization in certain parts of the quarry **

Bring: WATER, BUG / TICK SPRAY, work gloves, rock hammer, chisels, sledge, buckets, newspaper, pry bars, Geiger counter (if desired), LUNCH / SNACK    

** you may wish to bring / use a surgical or dust mask due to Asbestos minerals presence **

Hard Hat Required?  NO
Proper safety gear is required on ALL trips.  (Glasses, sturdy footwear, Gloves)
Attendees will be required to sign Hold Harmless Ag. / Attendance Sheet.

Max Number of Attendees: 25

Post Event Write-Up:

Attendees:  "Groundhog" Dave, Mark Leipert, "Great" Dane Transue, Tom Prochar, Will "Billy boy" Pazik, Rich Drake, Nik Caporossi, Gary Quam with Anders Todd, Linda Lovstad, Gina and David Shearer, Jordan Lockard, Stephen Cunie, Courtney Ayre, Ray and Bill Pipe, Fred Hochkile, Danny Moran, Susan Moore, A. Tyler Higbee

Second time was a charm for sure with the RE-scheduled outing to C.K. Williams Quarry; the prior April trip unfortunately got rained out.  Fortunately, "Great" Dane and Tom P. of PESA were able to attend and host again, and they provided MUCH expertise and an array of great specimens to observe at the trip outset.  Radioactives, Pegmatite minerals and others were on display for us to study and inquire about.  

Virtually everyone found the coveted "Eastonite" with numerous specimens of varying size, shape and quality.  

Jordan Lockard had one of the more notable finds of the day down by the water, a few  weathered Titanite crystals in a small boulder.  Mark and Fred found a number of these within the quarry walls as well, near the former rockslide section.  Mark and Fred also extracted and are submitting for Lab testing, a multi-colored section of boulder that is believed to contain numerous metallic components.  Groundhog unearthed several nice green waxy Serpentine rocks with relatively little or no Mica or asbestos minerals to interrupt.  Also found were some Serpentine rocks with nice veins of Tremolite streaking across lengthwise.  Nik Caporassi and a few others found tiny crystals of disseminated pyrite and Chalcopyrite in the marble, in smaller rocks. Several folks including Gary Quam and others, found Hematite coatings and veins on the Serpentine and marble pieces, which makes for nice coloration patterns.  Will "Billy boy" Pazik found some nice serpentine and tremolite specimens and some notable Eastonite specimens, that will be headed to his workshop for some cutting and polishing.  

It must be noted, almost ALL of the specimens found here, are excellent for cutting and polishing.  All in all, it was a great return to C.K. and the weather was phenomenal.