![[IMAGE]](pite_1.jpg)
Boston Mineral Club Field Trip to the
~ V.A.G. Mine - Eden/Lowell, Vermont - Fall 1998 ~
~ The Main Pit ~
The Vermont Asbestos Group quarry is located in the towns of Lowell & Eden, Vermont and the locality is historically referred to as Eden Mills after another nearby town. The quarry, opened in the early 1900's, is one of the largest open pit asbestos mines in the United States. Requirements by the EPA have made the operation too costly to maintain and the quarry has been closed since 1993.
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![[IMAGE]](tailin_1.jpg)
~ A Mountain of Tailings ~
The asbestos bearing rock is removed from the quarry and crushed, then the
asbestos fibers are vacuumed from the aggregate. The waste rock is moved
up by conveyor belt to the top of the dump pile which is enormous and can be
seen from over twenty miles away on the side of Mt. Belvedere.
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![[IMAGE]](shovel_1.jpg)
~ Mike Mulligan eat your heart out! ~
Two very large shovels used to load ore at the quarry. The shovels are electrically powered and you can see the power lines trailing off to the left of the big machine. The big shovel is large enough that a man can stand under the cab without stooping.
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![[IMAGE]](rosse_1.jpg)
~ Collecting on Rope ~
The best way to reach out of the way deposits is by rapelling from the top of the walls and collecting in the mineralized seams. Collector minerals include fine grossular, diopside and world class vesuvianite. Here, Ross prepares to go over the edge.
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![[IMAGE]](davee_1.jpg)
~ Don't drop the good ones ~
Here Dave hangs on the wall and removes massive calcite from a seam.
Many times the crystalline specimens are locked in calcite which
is etched away to reveal fine combination specimens.
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![[IMAGE]](edenmi_1.jpg)
~ The Minerals ~
Back row, L to R: druse of grossular garnet on matrix, calcite cleavage rhomb, chrysotile asbestos rock.
Middle: clinozoisite crystals
Front: loose grossular garnet crystals
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Go to the WILD HOGS ADVENTURE CLUB PG. 4
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