Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Troglodyte]

I'm going on a few rock and mineral collecting trips around Korea over the summer. If there is anyone else that is interested in joining me, PM me for details and to arrange to meet up.

The schedule isn't set yet, but some of the first places I'm going in July are in Chungju (Chungcheongbuk-do) and Eonyang, (Gyeongsangnam-do). I'll probably make a few trips to the Gyeongsangnam-do area because it's well known for its amethyst outcrops.

I'll leave by train/bus (depending on the destination) from Seoul, but if you want to meet up with me along the way, that's fine.

[air76]

I used to hunt rocks with my grandparents when I was a kid....my favorite was a trip we took (to Oregon if I remember right) to go to this special river where there were these rocks that looked like dog turds....no joke.

I don't think that I would be into it so much now though. I thought rock hunting was mostly for those over 60 or under 10. No offense, though...you'll be years ahead by the time you're 60, a collection unmatched.

[dalem]

As metalworking jewelry artist, i love the idea of going out and getting my own rocks.... this sounds fabulous. I woud be a complete newb, but i'm interested. Keep me in the loop bout future trips 3

[Flora99]

Hi there,

Please let me know the next time you are going mineral hunting. I am very interested. Love amythests!

[Fishead soup]

I'm more into fossils and I haven't found any here yet. In Ontario where I came from I found lots of Crinoid stems and Brachiopods. I heard there are places in the south coast where there are Dinosoure footprints

[thomas pars]

i'd be interested in finding flint for flint making and stone working.
I wonder if those stones even exist here.

But yeah interested nonetheless.

[iselynjenniep]

hey, i would be interested. my stepdad collects rocks/minerals and asked me to bring home some korean rocks! although i have no idea what those might be, a rock hunting trip sounds fun

[dalem]

hey troglodyte you should set up a facebook group page so we can talk and plan something!

[iwillteachyouenglish]

I read in Korea there can be unexploded landmines in the hills. Anyone know if this is true? Would suck to go off trail and have a landmine blow up!

[Troglodyte]

I don't use Facebook, but I asked a friend to set up a Facebook group for me. Here's the link.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=132162636822025


Next Trip

This coming weekend I'm going to Neungam-ri, Angseong-myeon near Chungju. The area used to be mined for tungsten. The area is well known for scheelite crystals. This is always an interesting specimen for collections as it fluoresces under UV light.

I'll leave from Bucheon on Saturday morning and head to Chungju. I might check out Chungju but not for long. The village near the old mining area is known for having natural hot spring spas, so I'll probably give them a try while I'm there. Sundown starts around 8pm but isn't complete until around 8:30. So I'll be looking for rocks until at least 9:30pm. (It's necessary to wait until after dark to do a UV light night search.) Depending on timing, I might head back to Chungju and take the 11pm bus back to Seoul. The other option is to stay at one of the spa hotels for the night and then head back Sunday during the day.

If anyone wants to join me, PM me or leave a note on the Facebook page. I'll get back to you with details.


If the weather report on Friday says that it's going to rain on the weekend, or if it's raining heavily on Saturday morning then I'll postpone it until the following weekend, and instead I'll make a visit to the museum in Seoul to ask about other interesting locations for collecting rocks.

[Flora99]

Hello!

Joined your FB group! I am not able to participate this weekend but looking forward to future rock hounding events!

Thanks,
Flora99

[Troglodyte]

The nice autumn weather seems to be finished now. If the snow melts, we'll probably make a few more trips but at this point it's all up to the weatherman. But until the Spring most of our excursions will probably just be to museums.

We made a few visits to the jade outcrops near Chuncheon and a trip to Oenyang (down south). We found some really nice specimens. The visit to Taehwa wasn't very successful because there was a think layer of soil and weeds growing over the old rock dumping piles. If we go again, we'll know better and bring along a couple small gardening shovels or a mattock. But there definitely are still scheelite crystals in the pile. If there's enough interest, we might make a few more excursions over the winter. It's nice that the leaves have finished falling and the rivers are clearer to search through and the rock outcrops aren't blocked by the foliage.

I suppose that over the winter some of us will try to cut and polish our samples. If anyone knows where we could do that, please post here or PM me.

There was a bit of talk about visiting Taebaek to look for fossils. It seems that there are certain areas where you can find them in the rivers. If anyone has heard more about that, please let us know. Also, if there's anyone in Taebaek that would like to come along, let us know. It would be good to have someone familiar with the area, especially if they can check out the local bus routes in advance.

If anyone else is interested in rock hounding, be sure to leave a message here, PM me, or join the Facebook page.