rockroller
spending too much on rocks
Be excellent to each other.
Member since October 2013
Posts: 359
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Post by rockroller on Apr 17, 2015 17:24:24 GMT -5
Ok, party people I need your help with this one. I once spoke with a knapper at a Fair in Texas who told me a story about the glaciers riding on all kinds of rocks as if they were ball bearings until they stopped somewhere around Central Texas. He claimed that this accounts for the variety of flint that can be found in that part of the world. Now I don't know if he was crazy or not, it sounded plausible that many stones were carried and deposited this way. So I'm pretty sure that I found this stone along the Brazos River and to me it looks like a very beat up Lightning Stone that should be found in Michigan. So what do y'all think? Could this have made the great ride down rattlehead? The next question is what to do with it. It is a little deeper than it looks in the photo so I can actually cut it. That was what my plan was but I thought I might get some feedback first. Thanks! ~Roland
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Post by jakesrocks on Apr 17, 2015 17:46:34 GMT -5
Looks like possibly a septerian nodule. They come in all sizes & shapes.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,666
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 17, 2015 18:27:02 GMT -5
Holy molly,all busted up and healed-cool or what!
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 17, 2015 18:29:22 GMT -5
Cool-lookin' rock, rockroller. Maybe display it? I thought it may be a ventifact, but if it was found near a river, it probably is not.
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Post by snowmom on Apr 18, 2015 4:16:48 GMT -5
Sure it could! those glaciers were a mile deep and picked up and re-deposited stuff all along the way, forming piles of stuff that were even farther distributed by floods, annual melts and thaws, etc. The fact that it was found near the river adds information to where its been since the dawn of its creation. That's a wonderful rock just to look at. The story it wants to tell is right there. Definitely worth display. I'd make it a suiseki in a heartbeat!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,666
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Post by Fossilman on Apr 18, 2015 9:09:23 GMT -5
The Montana glaciers would push tons of rocks into the Columbia River Gorge area too.............People still finding cool agates and petwood from that area.........
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rockroller
spending too much on rocks
Be excellent to each other.
Member since October 2013
Posts: 359
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Post by rockroller on Apr 18, 2015 10:02:12 GMT -5
Thanks guys! Here's a different view that shows a little more dimension to the rock. I hear what y'all are saying about leaving it in it's found state...but it really is ugly! Heh. I wish I had remembered this guy when our local club had their ugliest rock contest. gingerkid I had never heard of the term ventifact. Thanks for that lesson! ~Roland
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 18, 2015 12:39:41 GMT -5
...I wish I had remembered this guy when our local club had their ugliest rock contest. ROFL, rockroller! I think it's pretty cool. Here's a ventifact from Ventifact Ridge, Death Valley, California in my rock collection. It's an iron-rich black basalt that resisted abrasion more than the reddish layer (believed to be feldspar tuff) sitting on a garnet and granite base.
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Post by nowyo on Apr 18, 2015 14:02:43 GMT -5
I once spoke with a knapper at a Fair in Texas who told me a story about the glaciers riding on all kinds of rocks as if they were ball bearings until they stopped somewhere around Central Texas. He claimed that this accounts for the variety of flint that can be found in that part of the world. Now I don't know if he was crazy or not, it sounded plausible that many stones were carried and deposited this way. Thanks! ~Roland I can't really help out with id from the picture. However, there are a couple of things wrong with the quote above. Firstly, I don't believe the continental glaciers ever made it as far south as Texas. Secondly, that's not how glaciers move. The weight of the ice creates friction, which melts a thin layer at the bottom. This melted ice (water) is enough lubrication for the glacier to move. Now, in the course of all this friction and moving a whole bunch of rocks are torn loose and ground down and rounded, and the glacier is sliding on top of and pushing in front of itself these rocks and mud. The meltwater can transport them, rocks and dirt can be left behind as moraines-lots of things can happen. I don't know enough about the geology around the Brazos to say what ancient rivers if any may have been active in that area. Not trying to crap on your post, just trying to help out a little. Lately there has been some really bizarre ids and ideas thrown around on here and that's not really helping anybody. Russ
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Post by snowmom on Apr 18, 2015 17:41:51 GMT -5
Thanks guys! Here's a different view that shows a little more dimension to the rock. I hear what y'all are saying about leaving it in it's found state...but it really is ugly! Heh. I wish I had remembered this guy when our local club had their ugliest rock contest. Sir, that rock is not ugly, it has character and experience! gingerkid I had never heard of the term ventifact. Thanks for that lesson! ~Roland
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Post by jakesrocks on Apr 18, 2015 18:36:05 GMT -5
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rockroller
spending too much on rocks
Be excellent to each other.
Member since October 2013
Posts: 359
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Post by rockroller on Apr 20, 2015 19:09:43 GMT -5
I can't really help out with id from the picture. However, there are a couple of things wrong with the quote above. Firstly, I don't believe the continental glaciers ever made it as far south as Texas. Secondly, that's not how glaciers move. The weight of the ice creates friction, which melts a thin layer at the bottom. This melted ice (water) is enough lubrication for the glacier to move. Now, in the course of all this friction and moving a whole bunch of rocks are torn loose and ground down and rounded, and the glacier is sliding on top of and pushing in front of itself these rocks and mud. The meltwater can transport them, rocks and dirt can be left behind as moraines-lots of things can happen. I don't know enough about the geology around the Brazos to say what ancient rivers if any may have been active in that area. Not trying to crap on your post, just trying to help out a little. Lately there has been some really bizarre ids and ideas thrown around on here and that's not really helping anybody. Russ Russ, No worries about crapping on the post. I posted this info to hopefully separate the BS from the rest. I really appreciate your input and everyone else's. I hope we can all learn enough so that we can stop those that are spreading incorrect information before it gets too far. I suppose I could Google-up a lot of my questions, but sometimes I just want to make some conversation here! jakesrocks, I think you are right. Which is why I'm dying to cut this guy in half to see what a polished slice looks like! But I will let it sit for awhile before deciding.... ~Roland
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Apr 20, 2015 20:34:56 GMT -5
I live about 20 miles from the Brazos river in Brazos County. I have done a lot of reading to determine the source of all the rounded rocks which form a solid layer in the formation I live on.From all I can determine,in ancient times,mighty rivers carried rocks from the eastern slopes of the developing Rocky Mountains as far as into the Gulf of Mexico.At least that is what is said to be the case.As far as glaciers reaching this area,I have never seen anything to refer to that. snuffy Here is a pic of a septarian I have from close to the Colorado River between Bastrop and Fayette County.
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Post by nowyo on Apr 21, 2015 20:37:12 GMT -5
I live about 20 miles from the Brazos river in Brazos County. I have done a lot of reading to determine the source of all the rounded rocks which form a solid layer in the formation I live on.From all I can determine,in ancient times,mighty rivers carried rocks from the eastern slopes of the developing Rocky Mountains as far as into the Gulf of Mexico.At least that is what is said to be the case.As far as glaciers reaching this area,I have never seen anything to refer to that. snuffy Here is a pic of a septarian I have from close to the Colorado River between Bastrop and Fayette County. Great post, Snuffy, thanks. Russ
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rattlehead
starting to spend too much on rocks
MI Rocks
Member since December 2010
Posts: 213
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Post by rattlehead on Apr 26, 2015 7:43:24 GMT -5
Looks just like the kind I find in Michigan. Now, I would like to think they are only found in Michigan, but probly not the case. Here is a link to a guy's face book page who finds some pretty large ones in Alberta, Canada area: www.facebook.com/Lightning.Stones/info?tab=page_info
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Post by jakesrocks on Apr 26, 2015 8:53:44 GMT -5
These are septerian nodules from Utah in my collection. There are also very nice septerians found in western South Dakota.
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snuffy
Cave Dweller
Member since May 2009
Posts: 4,319
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Post by snuffy on Apr 26, 2015 9:12:56 GMT -5
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Post by jakesrocks on Apr 26, 2015 9:30:17 GMT -5
Hey snuffy, gonna need a bigger saw for those puppies.
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Paul
starting to shine!
Member since April 2015
Posts: 38
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Post by Paul on Apr 28, 2015 16:44:02 GMT -5
Thanks guys! Here's a different view that shows a little more dimension to the rock. I hear what y'all are saying about leaving it in it's found state...but it really is ugly! Heh. I wish I had remembered this guy when our local club had their ugliest rock contest. gingerkid I had never heard of the term ventifact. Thanks for that lesson! ~Roland That is quite obviously an extremely rare Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle egg. Just add water. Seriously though, cool rock!
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