AMETHYST GEMSTONE FROM BEIRUT MINE GENERATOR

As you exit your vehicle and walk toward the welcoming centre you will pass several large Amethyst pieces. A large field in front of the centre offers a vast amount of parking including pull through spaces for RVs and trailers. The mine is 1,400 feet above sea level and the drive offers majestic views that will take your breath away.ДЄs you reach the highest point of your journey a beautifully crafted log Welcome Centre comes into view. However, it is well maintained and shouldnвЂ™t be a cause for concern for anyone traveling in car or RV. The road soon turns from asphalt to gravel. To access the mine, you turn north off the Trans-Canada highway onto East Loon road. We often spent our days exploring, digging, and learning. For me, and my friends, all around the ages of ten at the time, the mine was an astonishing wonder. We piled into three different vehicles and traveled the short 30-minute drive up to the mine from our campground. Often our group visited Amethyst Mine Panorama.

When I was young my family and I would camp at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park numerous times each summer. Although these features may not be accurate today Amethyst is still widely used in jewelry, landscaping, and the mines of Ontario have become an extremely popular attraction!

For over 35 years the mine has been operated by a local family that is dedicated to offering a quality product and experience for travelers and families.ДЄmethyst is a violet variety of quartz that was once used by the ancient Greeks to decrease the chances of alcohol intoxication and to improve oneвЂ™s intelligence. Just 60km east of Thunder Bay (60km west of Nipigon), along the Lake Superior Circle Tour, sits Amethyst Mine Panorama. Call for details.OntarioвЂ™s Superior Country region is lucky to be home of the largest Amethyst deposit in all of Canada. Helicopter tours to the mine are offered several times per year, through our store. The color and the difficulty of mining, make Four Peaks Amethyst a very rare gemstone indeed. The only other place that produces this color of amethyst is in the Ural Mountains in Russia. The amethyst produced at Four Peaks amethyst mine is known as Siberian Red Amethyst as it has a red flash when viewed under natural light. One wonders if they learned of the amethyst by being on the receiving end of those amethyst arrowheads. It is also believed that the Spaniards while exploring the southwest learned of the deposit and the Spanish crown contains Amethyst from the mine. Four Peaks amethyst was also known to the local Native Americans as a number of amethyst arrow heads have been found in the area. The mine was discovered by Jim McDaniel in the early 1900вЂ™s while looking for gold and it has been mined off and on for over 100 years. From that 50 pounds shipped for cutting, less than 1000 carats of cut gemstones return. Out of 1000 pounds of amethyst rough produced every six months, less than 50 pounds is gem quality and is shipped for cutting. The cleaned amethyst is sent to China where it is cut into finished gemstones. The rough Amethyst is taken to Scottsdale where it is cleaned and sorted. Twice a year the amethyst rough is removed from the mine by helicopter and supplies are transported in. Solar panels and batteries are used to light and ventilate the mine.

AMETHYST GEMSTONE FROM BEIRUT MINE GENERATOR

The mineвЂ™s only luxury is a small shed and a generator to light it at night. There is no running water or electricity at the mine and hand tools must be used for the slow tedious extraction of the amethyst.

Located in the most rugged parts of the Mazatzal Mountains, 46 miles from Phoenix, the miners live at the mine for 1-2 weeks at a time, and have to hike 9 miles roundtrip to get to work. The Arizona Four Peaks Amethyst mine is believed to be the only precious stone mine in the United States that requires a helicopter to transport supplies in and take mined material out.

Amethyst gemstone from beirut mine