C. K. Williams Quarry, Easton, Pa Fieldtrip Report

April 2, 2011

With bad weather forecast during the preceding week and snow early Friday, the weather finally cleared and Teddi, Donna, Bill and I spend a wonderful day at the CK Williams Quarry.  We arrived  at 10 and started collecting eastonite, tremolite,  and phlogopite at the ‘ground’ level.  Thought this area is heavily visited there is still a lot of very nice material both on the ground and on the quarry face.   We also collected some asbestos and Bill found a few large verdolite boulders.  Later Donna, Bill and I  went ‘up the  hill’ to the mid-level flat area and searched through the  endless supply of loose rock left over from the mining operation.  Donna found a fantastic verdolite; rich rose red with nice green serpentine.  Late in the day I found some ca. 3”, bright silver, folded,  phlogopite specimens.   We left the quarry  about 3:30. 

[Tom Pankratz, Vice-President of Fieldtrips]

I want to get this  trip in before leaf out.....this quarry is overgrown.

This is  a super neat quarry;  the easy-to-get-to parts have been well picked, but there are lots of unpicked areas. Google CK Williams quarry, in Easton, Pa and you'll find loads of information.

Bob's previous writeup:

This trip will be into the C.K. Williams Quarry, an inactive serpentine quarry on the north side of Easton along the Delaware River. Minerals that have been found at this quarry include: serpentine var. chrysotile, antigorite and lizardite, talc, actinolite, tremolite, titanite, dolomite, feldspar, quartz, pyrite, pyrolusite dendrites and williamsite. Some of the serpentine from this quarry can be cut and polished into rather nice cabochons!

I add that apparently there is both dolomite and silica-rich granite metamorphed with the serpentine minerals here, which makes for some really interesting goodies if you're lucky enough to find the right spots (safely).

Email me if you plan on coming.  I can send directions.  It's a 2+ hr. drive from Newark so we can arrange both car pools and wagon train.

Tom

Saturday, November 13, 2010: C.K. Williams Quarry, Easton, Northampton Co., PA. [CANCELED] This trip will be into the C.K. Williams Quarry, an inactive serpentine quarry on the north side of Easton along the Delaware River. Minerals that have been found at this quarry include: serpentine var. chrysotile, antigorite and lizardite, talc, actinolite, tremolite, titanite, dolomite, feldspar, quartz, pyrite, pyrolusite dendrites and williamsite. Some of the serpentine from this quarry can be cut and polished into rather nice cabochons!

Please sign up by November 10th if you would like to attend!

C.K. Williams Quarry

Easton, PA - December 4, 2004

On December 4, Karissa D. Hendershot and I drove up to the C.K. Williams Quarry in Easton, Pennsylvania.  Although several DMS members had expressed interest in visiting this inactive serpentine quarry on the north side of Easton along the Delaware River, Karissa and I were the only ones who made the trip on the crisp, cold, sunny December morning.  We spent several hours at the quarry collecting specimens of verdanite, which can be cut and polished into rather nice cabochons, and a few cabinet specimens of williamsite before heading back home! 

Junior members are welcome to attend this trip.

(Photo by Ken Casey)