Somewhere around noon on Dec 16 I pulled into the park. It was cold and rainy so I put on an old pair of
tennis shoes and a pair of pants over my sweatpants. I'm glad I did. It had been raining for the past couple
of days so the field was very muddy. It had last been plowed on Nov 11 so the soil on the surface had been
exposed for sometime. But the staff at the center assured me that there were still diamonds to be found
and if anything, the rain caused erosion and surface diamonds would be exposed more. So I decided to pay
the $6.50 fee and walk the field and see if I could find anything on the surface. I did buy a small hand tool
to help dig a little. I was the only person on the 37.5 acres field, except the guys on the south edge which
I'll explain later.
There's basically three different ways to look for diamonds.
1) dry sifting - put dirt into a box with a screen mesh and agitate the box until all the dirt has sifted through
leaving small stones. Key - the dirt must be dry. This is what I wanted to do, but of course, the only thing I
couldn't do.
2) surface search - go for a walk-about and keep your eyes peeled for shiny rocks.
3) wet washing - same as dry sifting but add water to wash away the dirt quicker. This is suppose to produce
the most diamonds since it moves more dirt than any other method.
On Dec 16, before leaving Little Rock, a light rain was falling with
below freezing temperatures
causing a thin sheet of ice on my Jeep.
the road were very slick and I saw at least five accidents in the 100
mile trip to Murfreesboro
where the vehicles had major damage.
Murfreesboro, AR. http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com
Entrance to the field. The blue rail on the left surrounds a washing station
for equipment once you leave the field. The diamonds surfaced because
of volcanic activity. The website explains the whole process.
Looking north. The shelters cover picnic tables and benches.
Looking straight across the field. The white roof shelter covers a
picnic table. The dark roof shelter covers the North washing station
which is the one I used on the second day.
Looking South. The two white small post in the center of the picture
marks where famous diamonds had been found.
On the South edge of the field there was about five work stations set
up with 55 gallon drums, large racks, washing stations, and large
cages with personal equipment in them. I suspect some "regulars"
have their own work spaces.
On the other hand, my equipment consists of two screen boxes, a
bucket and a shovel.
My first load of dirt. It turned out to contain a high percentage of clay.
In the cold weather and the very cold water, it became very hard and
refused to wash away. I had to look for looser dirt.
The washing station had large bins which can tilt to remove waste and
water. The tables in the middle are used for a place to put the sifted
material. You can see piles left by previous "miners." Theoretically,
once you wash, shake and sift the material, the diamonds move to the
bottom of the screen. Then when you gently flip it over on the table
the diamonds are on the top. Yeah right!
This explains how better than I can.
I had to break the ice on the surface of the water before I began.
My first load into the screen.
I didn't take anymore pictures. I was very cold, the water was freezing.
I soon decided against continuing. I ran about four box screens through.
I couldn't work it properly because I couldn't put my hands in the water
for more than 10 seconds. I spent more time warming my hands than
doing work. I tried using the shovel to wash water over the box, I even
emptied out the bucket and dumped water over the box screen. In warmer
weather I think the dirt might have separated and washed away better.
Had I even found one little diamond, I might have searched a little
longer.
I did find some neat little agates and quartz though. I also found a large
(maybe 4 lbs) conglomerate that I took with me that I'll dissect later.
I'd like to come back someday when it's warmer.