What Is Gem Gravel?

Gravel Beds

• Gravel is most often created from ice erosion, especially the kind that comes with glaciation. Upon retreat of the glacier, these deposits of small bits of rock are moved and shaped by movement of melting water. The most common result is the formation of gravel beds along the water drainage systems created in the wake of a retreating mass of ice. Interestingly enough, conglomerate is a rock when gavel or small stones are embedded in rocks created through sedimentation.

Concentration of Gems

• Gems or concentrations of valuable minerals may become encased in rock formations through igneous or metamorphic processes. Because the small gemstones are more resistant to weathering, they may be more durable to erosion and as a consequence they are left behind after natural forces have removed most of the rock strata. If stream action is present, the gems could possibly accumulate in certain places along the watercourse, where moving water leaves natural deposits of gravel and small stones.

Examples

• Mines with gem gravel deposits are some of the most productive gem sites in the world. Part of the attraction of this type of mining operation is the ease with which the rock material can be examined for the presence of gems and minerals. One of the most famous gem gravel mines are the Golgonda alluvial deposits of southern India, where as early as the 4th century, precious diamond gemstones were found along various rivers and tributaries.

The Search

• Searching through a gravel formation for gems requires a water supply and a screen capable of separating small stones from tiny specs of sand, dirt and other debris. Since gravel beds often occur in or near flowing tributaries, a water supply for cleaning and examining the stones is usually not a problem. But knowing what to look for and then being able to find small gemstones is a different matter. Gems and other collectible minerals may at first glance appear much like a non-descript rock. Having someone around who is familiar with local gemstones will definitely make this task easier. The Cherokee Ruby Mine in western North Carolina is one place where rockhounds can come try their luck at finding gems.