Gem-O-Rama Fun in Trona, California

What is Gem-O-Rama?

Gem-O-Rama is an amazing crystal collecting experience held near Death Valley, California. For a small fee, geologists, rock hounds, and crystal lovers all get to collect rare and different minerals the second weekend in October every year. It is possible to find rare Hanksite, Trona, Thenardite, Borax, as well as white and pink Halite. To get these crystals, everyone digs through huge mud piles (shown on Dirty Jobs: Mud Mineral Excavator), wade through saltwater pools, and sorts through blown out crystals. You get dirty, get a fun weekend, and get crystals. It really is an amazing weekend!

The Event
Location of Gem-O-Rama
The Mud Pile Field Trip
The Blow Hole Field Trip
The Pink Halite/Brine Pools Field Trip
Gem-O-Rama Supplies
Trona Pinnacles
Books About the Geology of the Surrounding Area
Pictures of Minerals Collected at Gem-O-Rama
Things to Do Near Trona
Like This Lens?
Information About Me
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The Event

Gem-O-Rama is a Gem and Mineral Show with 3 associate field trips. The show is great and has about 20 dealers selling stuff, including rocks, minerals, fossils, gems, jewelry, and lapidary supplies. They also have mineral specimens on display and show a video about the field trips. The field trips are actually the big draw though. There are 3 of them and each of them are held on Searles Dry Lake next to the town. The first field trip is Saturday morning and it's where people get to collect mainly Hanksite from big piles of mud. The second field trip is the blow hole field trip and it is held on Saturday afternoon and involves collecting crystals off of the ground after they have been thrown there through a complicated process that I'll describe in that section. The third and final field trip is to get pink or cranberry colored halite crystals from pools of extremely salty water.

The Gem-O-Rama Flyer

Searles Lake

Gem-O-Rama is held in the town of Trona which is on the shore of Searles Dry Lake. A dry Pleistocene lake that the mineral company mines for borax, Searles Lake really close to Death Valley, yet almost never gets tourists. Interesting geologically, historically, and biologically, Searles Lake is ugly and stinky, but worth a visit.

Searles Lake is a dry lake bed in the Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County, California, with the mining community, Trona against its western shore. The evaporite basin is approximately long and at its widest point, yielding 1.7 million tons annually of industrial minerals within the basin to the Searles Valley Minerals mining operations.

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Location of Gem-O-Rama

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Pictures of Town of Trona and Gem and Mineral Show

Gem-O-Rama is so amazing it should be hugely popular to photograph, but there's one problem-no one wants to stop collecting and take pictures instead. These are some pictures of entering Trona, passing by one of the factories, the parking lot at the Gem and Mineral Show as well as inside the show building.

curated content from Flickr

For precise instructions on how to attend Gem-O-Rama click on the link below:

The Mud Pile Field Trip

This field trip is held on Saturday morning and features the chance to dig through piles of mud to find crystals. The more commonly found crystal here is Hanksite, sometimes in small chunks, other times in massive pieces.

The mud for the this event comes from deep below the surface of the dry lake, where the mud is saturated with brine. The mud and the crystals growing in it would be impossible for us to collect from if it wasn't for the mineral company's help. First they test various areas for nice crystal concentrations. When they find a good area that has lots of mud full of crystals they use heavy equipment to dig deep holes to where the mud is with the crystals. They then load tons of this crystal-filled mud into dump trucks which take the mud to a level spot where there's lots of room and they spread it out, so at the prearranged time we can go jump in and start going through it looking for the Hanksite crystals we like the best.

Mud Pile Field Trip Pictures

curated content from Flickr

For precise instructions on how to collect Hanksite crystals from the mud piles while at Gem-O-Rama click on the link below:

Hanksite Crystals on eBay

Almost all Hanksite that you'll ever see was collected in this one weekend event, either from the mud piles or the blow hole.

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The Blow Hole Field Trip

The blow hole field trip is held Saturday afternoon and is a chance to collect many small crystals, such as small pieces of Hanksite, Trona, Thenardite, Borax, Halite, and the rare Sulfohalite.

This event starts before the crystal collectors even arrive. The crystals in Searles Lake are formed below the surface of the lake bed where there is extremely salty water, called brine. Without the mineral company's help we would never be able to get any crystals since the average person couldn't tunnel down 50' to get at them, but lucky for us, the Searles Valley Mineral Company helps us out long before we arrive.

They start by drilling several shafts down into the lakebed, about 50' deep. The Navy explosive experts then place explosives down the holes and set them off to loosen the crystals from their beds. When it's time, the SVMC technicians will pump compressed air down into the hole which propels the crystals and brine up and out of the hole and onto the surface of the lake. They spread this brine and crystal mixture over the surface of the dry lake where we can later collect them. They also save one blow hole to spray out for the people on the field trip, so we can watch and have fun collecting the newly blown crystals too.

The demonstration during the field trip actually didn't come about for the event in 2008, since the pump truck broke through the hard surface of the lakebed and tipped over. This was the first time it this had ever happened and the truck was rescued a few days later so it didn't get mired in the salt beds forever.

Blow Hole Pictures

curated content from Flickr

For precise instructions on how to collect beautiful crystals from the blowhole field trip while at Gem-O-Rama click on the link below:

Thenardite Crystals on eBay

Thenardite Crystals

Thenardite is one of the minerals collected during the blow hole field trip.

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The Pink Halite/Brine Pools Field Trip

The Pink Halite or Brine Pools field trip is many people's favorite. On this field trip, people collect Halite or salt crystals from pools of extremely saline water that are tinted red by salt-loving algae called halophilic or halobacteria. As the brine pools dry up, the amount of salt in the water reaches a certain level that can no longer be suspended, so it starts to fall out of the water. This forms salt crystals inside and around the edges of the pools. As they crystallize, the Halite often forms around the algae and takes on the reddish coloring. Depending on how much algae they form around, the Halite crystals can be white to pink to a deep cranberry color.

Brine Pool Pictures

curated content from Flickr

For precise instructions on how to collect pink halite crystals from the salt pools while at Gem-O-Rama click on the link below:

Pink Halite Crystals on eBay

Pink Halite Crystals Likely Collected from Gem-O-Rama

Pink Halite is found in places other than Searles Lake, but most Pink Halite of the specimens seen in mineral shows and other places were collected during Gem-O-Rama.

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Looking for Halite at Searles Lake

This couple are looking for halite in the brine pools at Searles Lake. They don't know how to search for the crystals and so aren't finding much, but the last part of the clip shows what a bit of what's it's like to search for the halite. For more information on how to find the salt/halite crystals check out the article How to do the Salt Pools at Gem-O-Rama.

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Gem-O-Rama Supplies

These are some supplies you may want or need for Gem-O-Rama

SciEd Mineral Hammer-Pick; Rock Pick Pointed Tip 22oz

Everyone can always use a rock hammer, but it really comes in handy on the Pink Halite/Brine Pool Field Trip. Also if you plan to collect at any places on your way to Gem-O-Rama or in the Trona area while you are there, you might want to pick up a rock hammer. Really, my rock hammer never leaves my vehicle since I never know when I'll want to stop and use it to break off a piece of rock to take home.

Amazon Price: $44.35 (as of 12/22/2009)

Fiskars 7067 3-Piece Softouch Garden Tool Set

Handheld garden tools and buckets are all you need to collect with at the Blow Hole Field Trip. These ones have nice handles to make them easier on your hands so you can sort through the tiny crystals even faster.

Amazon Price: $14.35 (as of 12/22/2009)

Fulton Corporation TW48WB 48-Inch Long Wrecker Pry Bar

A long breaker bar is needed to pry the halite loose from the shelves in the Brine Pools. You could rent one at the store in Gem-O-Rama if they have enough left, or just bring your own. The extra-long length is great for having extra leverage to make it easier to break the rock shelves the Halite crystals grow on.

Amazon Price: $48.44 (as of 12/22/2009)

Dirty Jobs: Season 3, Volume 1 (23 Episodes on 3 DVDs)

Mike and his crew came to the 2007 Gem-O-Rama and filmed sections of it for their Mud Minerals Episode. Mike helped set up the blasting for the blow holes, toured the factory, and they did several shots of people collecting crystals from the mud piles. I'm in the background of one of the shots too :-)

Amazon Price: (as of 12/22/2009)

Streamlight 51010 Twin-Task 3C 9-Inch UV Flashlight, Black

Some of the crystals collected from Gem-O-Rama fluoresce under a black light and UV flashlights are always so handy to have anyways.

Amazon Price: $46.01 (as of 12/22/2009)

Gem-O-Rama Poll

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Many people that go to Gem-O-Rama stay at the campground set up for the attendees. It's located a few miles north of Trona and is fairly cheap. For instructions on camping there click the link below:

Trona Pinnacles

An interesting area close to Trona is the Trona Pinnacles, many people who go to Gem-O-Rama go to visit them while in the area. Composed of calcium carbonate or tufa, these spires tower above the surrounding area and there's an interesting old set of tracks and train nearby.

curated content from Flickr

The Trona Pinnacles are tufa towers similar to the tufa towers at Mono Lake. Like Mono Lake's these were created underwater, but the ones near Trona are now high and dry, and so tower above the surrounding area. For more information on the Trona Pinnacles check out the link below:

Books About the Geology of the Surrounding Area

If you're going to go to Gem-O-Rama or are only interested in learning more about what's happening there, check out these books.

Assembling California

by: John McPhee

McFee is great at explaining geology for the layman and expert alike. This is a book everyone should read.

Roadside Geology of Southern California

by: Dav Alt

The Roadside Guides are great at explaining what you see alongside the roads in terms anyone can understand, yet still with detail enough to satisfy the geologists.

Peterson First Guide to Rocks and Minerals

by: Frederick H. Pough

I adore field guides and have several. It's a great idea to compare several descriptions when trying to identify a rock since the guides vary quite a bit.

Geology Underfoot in Southern California

by: Robert P. Sharp

The books in this series are wonderful for learning about the general geology of an area.

Geology Underfoot in Death Valley and Owens Valley

by: Robert P. Sharp

Since the Panamint Valley where Gem-O-Rama is held is sandwiched in between Death Valley and Owens Valley, this book is great for the specific geology of the area, especially since there's so much going on there.

More Information about Gem-O-Rama

Searles Lake Info from Nasa: Satelite picture of Searles Lake and as well as info on it.
Searles Lake Gem and Mineral Society: The official site for Gem-O-Rama
Flyer for the 68th Annual Gem-O-Rama: This flyer gives details about what time stuff is happening and what exactly is going on at the show.
The Allen's Gem-O-Rama Post: This couple went to Gem-O-Rama this last year and wrote a post on their blog about it. It also has a nice video of someone collecting halite from the brine pools.

Pictures of Minerals Collected at Gem-O-Rama

Halite, Hanksite, Thenardite, oh my!

Halite

Halite

Pink Halite

Cranberry Halite

Pink Halite

Hanksite

Hanksite crystal with borax growing on

Some Collected Crystals From the Blow Hole by AlishaV

Hanksite and Borax

Trona

Thenardite

Sulfohalite

Trona, Hanksite, Thenardite, and Borax crystals

curated content from Flickr

Borax

This area of the desert has been well known for years for something often called "white gold". Borax drew people out to the Mojave Desert and the Death Valley area even in the heat of summer. They were there for the riches of borax mining. Borax has always been an important mineral for human use, and it isn't found in many places around the world. Many of us have forgotten about the importance of the 20-mule teams, the men who slaved in 100+ temperatures, and the fortunes won and lost, but the land remembers.

20 Mule Team Borax Natural Laundry Booster & Multi-Purpose Household Cleaner 76 oz (2.15 kg)

Amazon Price: $4.51 (as of 12/22/2009)

Use this box of borax powder to make your clothes cleaner, just add a small scoop to your wash. It is also great for carpet cleaning and science fair projects as well.

Crystal Info

How to Care for Your Crystals

These articles explain how to care for your crystals after getting home from Gem-O-Rama. The crystals collected during Gem-O-Rama are very sensitive and incorrect care can cause them to dissolve or at the very least become pitted and ugly. These articles give details about caring for the crystals correctly and making sure they won't just melt when you get them home.

How to Clean Your Hanksite Crystals: This article explains how to clean all those Hanksite crystals you collected from the Mud Pile Field Trip.
How to Clean Your Halite Crystals: This article shows how to clean off your Halite crystals if they somehow get dirty.
How to Preserve Your Halite Crystals: This article explains how to preserve your Halite crystals so they don't melt from the humidity in the air.
How to Make Brine to Clean Crystals In: If you didn't get enough brine to clean your Hanksite crystals from the Gem and Mineral Show, you can make a substitute.

More Information on the Minerals Found During Gem-O-Rama

The minerals that you can collect at Gem-O-Rama are some of the most rare, uncommon, and unusual. To get more information on them, check out some these links.

Hanksite: Hanksite is an unusual mineral mostly because of its formula. It is one of only a handful of minerals that contain both carbonate and sulfate ion groups. This lens has lots of pictures of Hanksite, mineral information, and even a crystal healing section.
Halite: Halite is found in many current evaporative deposits such as near Salt Lake City, Utah and Searles Lake California in the U.S., where it crystallizes out of evaporating brine lakes.
Thenardite: Thenardite is also generally fluorescent showing a white color in shortwave UV and a yellow-green color in longwave UV.
Borax: Borax is directly deposited in arid regions from the evaporation of water in intermittent lakes called playas. The playas form only during rainy seasons due to runoff from adjacent mountains.
Nahcolite: NaHCO3 is also known chemically as "baking soda".
Trona: Trona gets its name from a discarded Arabic word for native salt, "tron", which is derived from the word "natrun".

Things to Do Near Trona

Though it seems to be in the middle of nowhere, there's actually a lot of things to do in the Trona area. Death Valley is the next valley over, Rhyolite ghost town is not too far, and the ghost town of Ballarat is only a short distance from Trona itself. In the mountains behind Ballarat is the last hideout of Charlie Manson and his followers and in the town of Trona itself there is a wonderful little museum.

Old Guest House Museum

Welcome to the desert and The Trona, Ca. We have a small community, but a lot to share with our frineds. One of our museums is The Trona, California Old Guest House Museum. A ihistory rich collection of artifact and information about the settling of...

Death Valley National Park

One of the places everyone should go to at least once is Death Valley National Park. People come all over the world to visit this park, but there are still many people from America that still haven't visited it. Full of unique features, and with a co...

Barker Ranch: Charles Manson's Last Hideout

Following the events surrounding Charlie Manson has been a long search. The famiies that were murdered, the missing girls that were seen with the group and the long road to his conviction has taken right a 40 years. He is still incarcerated and the f...

Rhyolite: A Nevada Ghost Town

Many people that visit Death Valley, California have no idea that right outside the park is a very interesting ghost town that's been featured in numerous magazines and books about ghost towns. Right on the border of California and Nevada, Rhyolite w...

Ballarat: A California Ghost Town

A little known ghost town in California, Ballarat is a wonderful place to visit. Located near Death Valley, the town is situated in the Panamint Valley in an ancient lakebed. Started as a gold mining boom town, Ballarat still has several buildings an...

(Gem-O-Rama is October 9, 2010)

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What do you think about this lens? Are you going to visit Gem-O-Rama or the Trona area? Comments and feedback is much appreciated and please, if you liked this lens, rate it with the stars on the top of the page. Thanks, and hope to see you out at Gem-O-Rama.

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whispersoftly whispersoftly Feb 12, 2009 @ 10:48 pm

Hi Alisha I see some eHow gang on your site. I have been to Quartzsite in 1990, it is huge, much bigger now I hear. It was fairly easy to get around then, I sold some jewelry, stained glass and western wear. Had a good time campin on the blm land and learned a LOT about desert pitfalls. The gems here are the ones the vendors bring. There were onyx mines here till the 1970's. You can still hike up to them.and see where onyx is still there, but be prepared to climb up a hill about the lenght of 2 football fields, STRAIGHT UP. I did it, with several stops along the way. A great climb. Ya'll come see us.

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Rusty-Quill Rusty-Quill Feb 7, 2009 @ 12:07 pm

Hey that does sound like a ton of fun! Thanks for the info!

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SPhilbrick SPhilbrick Feb 1, 2009 @ 1:22 pm

Great lens and resources ! I would LOVE to do this. Road trip ! :-)

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crystalguy crystalguy Jan 29, 2009 @ 12:17 am

Thanks for posting this lens. I have heard about this trip for years and never got the scope of information that you have presented here. Great pictures! Five Stars!

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AlishaV AlishaV Jan 17, 2009 @ 4:27 am | in reply to Kate_Downs

Actually, the funniest thing about the entire event is that we are actually collecting minerals, not gems. I have no idea why they called it Gem-O-Rama, but after 60 years, I don't think they can really change it :-)

I got started with one geology class in school too. It sort of escalated from there and soon I had switched my major and started spending weekends digging in dirt. Watch out! Geology may snare you too!
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Hi! I made this lens and several others. If you want to know more about me or check out what I've done follow the link below to my biography or lensography lenses.

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: Gem-O-Rama Fun in Trona, California
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