But Joe and I had come for fluorite. Beautiful, yellow, green, blue, purple, and clear fluorite cubes can be found hidden within the quartz veins that run through the mine. Although there are other quartz veins that run through the mine, most people converge at one spot for the fluorite. This is because the quartz is most visible and exposed at this spot.

Once your spot is claimed, it is a three step process. The pyrophyllite matrix which tightly encloses the quartz vein must be removed and swept away in order to expose the quartz for extraction. Next, the quartz must be pried away from the matrix and lifted out of the hole you dug to get it out. Finally, the quartz must be cracked open to discover the vugs which contain the fluorite. Great care is taken on this step as many fine specimens have been ruined as a result of a misplaced hammer strike. Once the fluorite is discovered in a vug the quartz matrix around it must be cobbed down using a rock hammer so that it is small enough to wrap and carry home. This must be done on the spot else you will not be able to carry your specimens out of the mine without the help of a track hoe.

This is the retention pond across from the fluorite spot.  One of the byproducts from the oxidation of pyrite is sulphuric acid.  So it is probably a good guess that nothing lives in this pond -- or at least not for long.

It was a great trip. The weather was perfect, and we all found something nice to take home.  The most difficult challenge at the Glendon pit is the walk out of the mine.  Not only are you exhausted from digging hard for roughly 6 hours, but your weight probably doubles or triples from all the specimens you are toting out.

Here is a nice vug containing purple fluorite along with a nice spray of quartz crystals.  It is roughly 1 cm across.

This very tiny fluorite and quartz floater was found loose in one of the quartz vugs.  It has no damage or attachment point and is perfectly crystallized on all sides.
.9 x .5 cm

And one more vug. What is nice is that this vug was not discovered until just recently when Joe was cobbing down a specimen that had too much matrix.  This nice vug was hiding in the middle.  The length of the vug is 3 cm.

Well, I've been taking some pics of that "surprise" bonus vug, too.
It's nice and convenient being home when you crack into one.

Here are a few pics of the whole piece of rock with vug
just after breaking into it. Note the dark to bright red
coatings.
The first two pics are of one half of the vug and the last pic
is of the other, which is the one Scott pictured above.