The Dafoe Property

The Dafoe property is found on the west side of Leonard Stream near the famous Powers farm locality.  During the summer of 2017 the family began digging and selling specimens from a pegmatite vein on the property.  Although the tourmalines from this vein have yet to be analyzed, they are likely similar in composition to those found at the Powers farm.  That would mean they are dravites with fluor-uvite cores.  So, the term tourmaline best applies to the primary species found at this new location and will be used for specimens from this location (until the proper analysis is completed).  Unlike the specimens from Powers, the primary crystallized accessory mineral at this location is fluorapatite.  Occasionally, high quality quartz and interesting calcites are also encountered.

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To-date 4 veins have been discovered.  The veins dip vertically and contain the primary species tourmaline, quartz, and fluorapatite.  Late stage mineralization includes, calcite, allanite-(Ce), hematite, and meteoric quartz.  An article has recently been published on this locality in Rocks & Minerals magazine, vol. 94, no. 5, Sept/Oct. 2019 issue.

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2021 Update

During the spring of 2021 the property owner, Tim, and myself again worked Vein #1.  He had worked the only remaining section of the vein during 2020 (during the COVID epidemic) with good success.  He found an open section of vein several feet below the surface and dubbed it "The Waterfall Opening" because an underground drainage ran through the area.  Because the opening was vertical he could literally hear the water running below the ground during heavy rain storms.

Most of the five weeks of work was done by hand.  Just below the open area, in a platform of calcite, a large pocket was encountered.  It was the largest we found on the property measuring approximately five meters in length.  The problem was that some water flow had reached this opening and degraded what would have been fine calcite specimens.  Some nice quartz and tourmaline specimens were produced.  The best specimens from the Waterfall Opening were found during Tim's excavations conducted in 2020.

2019 Update

Starting in April of 2019 I was able to negotiate and arrangement to do a professional mineral recovery operation on the Dafoe property.  The work goes on approximately five days a week and is very intense.  Not only have excellent tourmalines been recovered but attractive calcites and some of the finest quartz from northern New York has been harvested, as well.  Updates will continue to be posted as time allows.  This dig is on private property and off limits to outside collecting.  The land owner lives on the site.