This week we’ll head to Asheville, North Carolina. Set in the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains, the area was hard hit by Hurricane Helene last September. The town is rebuilding and the mining area at Little Switzerland is open to explore. Grab your rock hammer and let’s go rockhounding. ⚒
Sharon Lyon
Editor, GeoLifestyle
Emerald Village, Little Switzerland, NC
Rockhound at the McKinney Mine Dump; investigate the Bon Ami Mine
The Emerald Village complex in Little Switzerland is located about an hour’s drive from Asheville, NC, and is open 1 April–31 October.
At one time, twelve mines operated in the area. Today you can visit the Big McKinney Mine Dump and the Bon Ami Mine.
Geology: The area is within the Blue Ridge physiographic province of North Carolina.
The area’s granitic rocks are part of the Spruce Pine Plutonic Suite, intruded into schists and gneisses during the Devonian (377–404 million years ago). Intrusion occurred near the end of a regional metamorphic event.
Both granodiorites and pegmatites occur here. Plutons can be either isolated, cross-cutting, or gradational. The transition from granitic to pegmatitic texture is probably due to the development of zones of water-enriched magma.
Mineral composition is predominantly feldspar and quartz, with accessory minerals of muscovite, grossular garnet, and epidote. Plagioclase feldspar is more common than K-feldspar. A few pegmatites contain tourmaline and beryl (sapphires, aquamarines, and emeralds).
Big McKinney Mine: Operating from 1922 through the 1950s, Big McKinney was once the largest feldspar mine in the world.
Mineral Collecting: Although the mine is closed and flooded, you can rockhound for a fee at the Mine Dump, right by the parking lot.
Quartz and feldspar and mica, Oh my! Look out for emeralds! I did not find any, but did find a nice Moonstone. We loaded our car, and now our yard hosts a suite of glittering muscovite, clear quartz, and vitreous feldspar.
The Discovery Mill Building at the McKinney Mine is designed to look like an old mill. Its 10 floors contain an information center, gift shop, deli, indoor picnic area, and a museum with mining-related artifacts. Get ready to climb!
You can view the now-closed Big Deal Mine from McKinney Mine Road.
Bon Ami Mine: This mine opened in the 1930s and was mined for feldspar for use in the famous Bon Ami scouring powder.
Located across the street from Big McKinney, take the self-guided tour of Bon Ami using the information booklet obtained at the Visitor Center.
Learn about the historic mining equipment and blacksmith shop.
At the end of the walkway is the Bon Ami Mine, where you step inside the hushed, hollowed-out space. Huge books of muscovite decorate the mine’s walls. No collecting here.
Fluorescent Minerals: Take the Black Light Tour, offered 10 times a year on select Saturday evenings through 25 October. Advanced online reservations are required.
The walls of the Bon Ami Mine fluoresce under ultraviolet light. Hyalite, a form of opal, encrusts the mine’s walls and ceiling. Because of its trace amounts of uranium, it glows a brilliant green under shortwave UV light.
There is also a feldspar that fluoresces pink to red, manganapatite that glows cream to orange, and a rare phosphorescent blue mineral.
The Asheville Museum of Science (AMOS) began with a mineral collection!
History: Engineer and bank president Burnham Standish Colburn retired near Asheville to be close to Western North Carolina’s rich mineral fields.
Colburn is quoted as saying, “I wanted something to do to keep me out of mischief, and it occurred to me that the collecting of minerals would be just the right hobby to take up.”
In 1960, his family donated his mineral collection, along with specimens from the Southern Appalachian Mineral Society, to open the Burnham S. Colburn Memorial Museum in Asheville.
After several name and location changes, the now-named Asheville Museum of Science moved to its present site in the downtown area in 2016. AMOS bills itself as ‘a growing local science museum with interactive, hands-on exhibits for science lovers of all ages.’
Exhibits: Gaze at the local and worldwide specimens in the Colburn Hall of Minerals.
Investigate stories of community resilience during Hurricane Helene, work on community science projects, or add your story to the storymap.
Examine meteorites under a microscope in the Gifts from the Galaxy exhibit.
Explore Teratophoneus curriei, a member of the Tyrannosauroidea superfamily from the late Cretaceous. Dig for hidden fossils in the sand pit.
Children learn about ecosystems in the forest playground exhibit, dive into hydrology with the immersive sand table, and experience STEAM programs on Saturday afternoons.
Explore Downtown: Downtown Asheville is a delightful collection of galleries, shops, and restaurants. Walk a few blocks from the museum to peruse the unique art, dally in the rock shops, and enjoy a meal.
I recommend the southern cooking at Tupelo Honey Southern Kitchen & Bar. Be aware that their Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken is really hot! Wash it down with some sweet tea.
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