Mitchell Mill Natural Area and Garnet-Mica Schist Collecting Area

Hello Friends and Rockhounds.

Wherever you live or travel, geology is everywhere. Geology also unlocks the history that lies hidden in the land all around us—in a piece of granite, a hillside, a handful of sand, the rock layers along a lake shore, or the jagged peaks of a mountain range.

We would like to invite you to attend our next Geology Trip on Saturday, November 12th.

Starting at 10:00 am, we will visit the Mitchell Mill State Natural Area - part of the largest granite dome on the east coast. This is a 'granite flatrock' - an outstanding natural exposure of the Rolesville granite and its unique, endemic plant community.  

We will be having a special program at Mitchell Mill State Natural Area, a granite 'flatrock' area, courtesy of the B. W. Wells Association. Experts will lead us on tour of the unique, special biota that have specially adapted themselves to live on this granite flat rock environment.

There are unique geological features present that separate Mitchell Mill State Natural Area from any other park in the area. It is part of the largest granite dome on the East coast, measuring approximately 30 miles long, 13 miles wide and 40,000-60,000 feet deep. Today, the rock face is pitted, worn and covered in ephemeral pools. These pools fill with water when it rains and are home to salamanders, frogs, crayfish and other tiny organisms. 

Please bring snacks, lunch and drinks. This is a perfect place for a 'picnic' lunch and we will have a break here as we enjoy the geology and scenery.

Our next stop will be an excellent outcrop near Falls Lake where participants will have the opportunity to 'load up" on garnets and garnet-mica schist. This is a very hard rock, so safety glasses or goggles are a great safety feature, please bring yours if you have them. There is no limit on the time we can spend at this last stop, so you can collect as much as you want.

Rockhounds of all ages are welcome!!

We will provide rock, hammers, eye protection for the group and the other equipment necessary. Bring rock hammers and eye protection if you have them.

To register for the November field trip or any other field trip, or if you'd like more information, please contact rgreengeology@gmail.com. We accept PayPal or pay by check.

Upon registration, we will send you additional info about where to meet, what to bring along and answer any questions that you have for us.

Because of the cost of the equipment we provide, the cost of the Geology Trip will be $35.00 per student.  There is no charge to parents/drivers.  Contact us if you would like details about a multiple sibling or scout group discount. 

We will need an accurate 'head count', so please let us know as soon as you can, if you will be attending and how many will be in your party : )

You can pay in two ways:   

1) Send your payment to Pay Pal - rgreen08@gmail.com.  - or - 

2) Mail a check to
Rob Greenberg
2218 Esther Drive
Chapel Hill, NC 27516

Thanks so much for your time and interest. Please feel free to forward this email to others who you think will be interested. We would love to grow our list of geology enthusiasts!  Have them contact me and I will add their information so they can receive announcements and updates.

Please spread the word about this trip to anyone you think it would interest!