A Gem and Mineral Prospecting Journey: Epidote and Mica (just to name two!)

An Epidote vien. Dammit Jim, I'm a gemologist, not a mineralogist!

Beside a small river and exposed partially from a road cut, there are small veins of Epidote. At first the epidote looked like it had formed with garnet and quartz, but after doing some research, it could also be the red epidote "piemontite". Epidote appears to be fairly common, but I have read that light yellowish green and reddish colors are more rare. I have found small quantities of both those colors and "black" epidote.

The outer "layer" of this crystal has been severely eroded,
but you can still see the nice light green color.

Another attempt to capture beauty without proper camera skills.
This crystal is actually a more brilliant color of green.

A small Epidote crystal cluster.

Epidote crystal.

"Black" Epidote.

Epidote has been included in the mythology of various cultures, including the Greeks, Norse, and Native Americans. Metaphysically, it appears to be used for spiritual growth grounded in earth energies, and is thought to be an overall positive and balancing stone.

Epidote Twin.

Nothing like fresh mountain peppermint and sage to make prospecting for the epidote an uplifting and pleasurable experience.

I also found some mica of interesting color. These pieces were picked up off the ground. There are very nice formations of mica "clusters" throughout the face of the rock. Mica is one of the names for "Coyote" in the Sioux languages. A trickster that creates a story out of our experiences and reflects them back to us in such a way to cause us to make sense of them. Fitting for this highly reflective mineral.