The Asarco Sacaton mine near Casa Grande was the
site of this year's post-Symposium field trip. The turn-out was relatively light as rainy conditions from
the previous day may have discouraged some attendees. Weather on the day of the trip was, however, sunny with a
few clouds and a slight breeze. There were a few puddles of water scattered around the dumps, but they didn't present
any collecting problems.
Even though eriochalcite is water soluble, samples of the newly-identified Arizona
mineral were still available. Other noteworthy finds included a cluster of zoned barites,
a boulder of fluorescent/phosphorescent calcite, and an unknown mineral that rapidly changes color from
a dark- to light-blue when a fresh surface is exposed.
Here are a few photo highlights of this trip:
View of the Open Pit
Some puddles of water around the dumps
Bill Yedowitz carefully works his way around the dumps
Headframe