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Post by tims on Feb 13, 2017 17:13:56 GMT -5
Went fairburn hunting Saturday with no obvious great finds, though I collected a bunch of pretty smalls for the tumbler and some colorful nodules to investigate with the saw. This one stood out because of the infinity sign and eyes ... the back seems to have corresponding eyes which makes me think the pattern might extend through the rock. Could this be indicative of internal banding? I like the piece as a specimen but if there's banding in it i'd be happy to chop it up for a better look. Opinions?
Back:
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Post by Pat on Feb 13, 2017 17:17:17 GMT -5
Looks like the design is manmade. I'd leave it alone and keep it as an artifact. I don't know anything about artifacts, but it is neat.
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Post by rockjunquie on Feb 13, 2017 17:42:33 GMT -5
Hmmm..... I'd be tempted to cut it open, but I always say that.
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Post by tims on Feb 13, 2017 19:32:00 GMT -5
Looks like the design is manmade. I'd leave it alone and keep it as an artifact. I don't know anything about artifacts, but it is neat. I don't think it's painted or carved, it just looks like the natural coloration of the stone. I don't believe it's an artifact.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 13, 2017 19:37:42 GMT -5
Hmmm..... I'd be tempted to cut it open, but I always say that. No temptation here. I would simply cut it.
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Post by spiceman on Feb 13, 2017 22:27:54 GMT -5
I agree, cut it and that way you can display both sides, if you want.
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Post by tims on Feb 15, 2017 1:37:33 GMT -5
Will cut as soon as i get saw weather. It's been pretty nice here but it's usually winter for another couple of months so i hate to turn on the outside water and drag out hoses yet ... will post pics if it's pretty inside. Thanks for the input.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,666
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 15, 2017 9:48:40 GMT -5
Cut it!!! I cut everything!! Don would know what that rock is....
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 15, 2017 10:19:34 GMT -5
Yeah be a rock butcher. That will even things up with the BLM and forest service!!
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 15, 2017 11:39:12 GMT -5
Looks to be a water worn prairie agate. There may be some banding inside, but I doubt that the eyes on the outside really indicate what may be inside. Cut it if you want, but if it were me I'd just face polish the infinity sign and use it for a display piece.
I've seen some very nice Fairburns that have come from the Indian Creek area. Also some killer marine fossils. It's a place well worth exploring whenever you get the chance.
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Post by tims on Feb 15, 2017 14:40:26 GMT -5
Looks to be a water worn prairie agate. There may be some banding inside, but I doubt that the eyes on the outside really indicate what may be inside. Cut it if you want, but if it were me I'd just face polish the infinity sign and use it for a display piece. I've seen some very nice Fairburns that have come from the Indian Creek area. Also some killer marine fossils. It's a place well worth exploring whenever you get the chance. Might try polishing the back side and see what it does with the eye on that side; i'm guessing the pattern either projects through the rock or is just on the surface which might remove it if i polish it. Worth a try though if it would make it pop. I was surprised to find a couple fossils there, looked like baculite in a very hard black matrix. A handful of what looks like lace agate, similar to stuff i've seen at the Rock Shed. Got a few nodules that exhibit some banding that might look nice with a polish. More nodules with nice color and translucence that will be fun to slab. This weather is driving me nuts, it's nice enough to get outside but not for getting wet at all.
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 15, 2017 15:10:01 GMT -5
I'd suspect that the infinity sign is just on the surface. It looks like that may be the place where another nodule broke away from the piece you found. If you're very careful, you might be able to put a shine on it.
Mike / Fossilman could better tell you if you have baculite in matrix. I have a piece of that black matrix sitting here on my desk that's loaded with small clam shells. It also came from Indian Creek.
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Post by tims on Feb 15, 2017 17:24:59 GMT -5
I'd suspect that the infinity sign is just on the surface. It looks like that may be the place where another nodule broke away from the piece you found. If you're very careful, you might be able to put a shine on it. Mike / Fossilman could better tell you if you have baculite in matrix. I have a piece of that black matrix sitting here on my desk that's loaded with small clam shells. It also came from Indian Creek. After another look it doesn't look like baculite; it's curved and there seems to be some nacre outside of the tubular area I thought was baculite:
Too chilly for work so took some pics of other stuff from the trip:
Banded stuff:
Lacy stuff and a clear / white nodule with strange coral-ish exterior:
Thought this was wood, but clean i'm not sure:
Misc. stuff
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 15, 2017 17:38:37 GMT -5
Like the face in that piece of chalcedony, 5th pic down, top left. I have his long lost brother.
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 15, 2017 17:46:18 GMT -5
Hey Tims, where are you located at ? You must be near to be hunting Indian Creek.
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Post by tims on Feb 15, 2017 18:43:42 GMT -5
Hey Tims, where are you located at ? You must be near to be hunting Indian Creek. I'm in Newcastle WY, 125 miles from the Indian Creek area in Buffalo Gap, just west of Scenic SD. Are you in the Rapid City area?
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 15, 2017 19:08:28 GMT -5
Nope. I'm way up in the NE corner of SD. Aberdeen. Got a couple rockhound friends in Rapid City though, and another in Pierre who goes out to Indian Creek often.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 15, 2017 21:16:10 GMT -5
Tims I have been tempted to head out to Indian Creek also and wondered how wet everything was. I figured the snow was mostly gone but am not really interested in fighting the mud. Can you give me a scouting report?
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Post by tims on Feb 16, 2017 0:33:54 GMT -5
Tims I have been tempted to head out to Indian Creek also and wondered how wet everything was. I figured the snow was mostly gone but am not really interested in fighting the mud. Can you give me a scouting report? It wasn't bad until about halfway down the hill as you drop down to the creek ... i drove halfway down in my old exploder and ended up pulling off where it turns from rock cobble to dirt (mud). It was sticky mud from there down so i just hunted up and down the sides of the hill, didn't hike down to the creek. The road in from Scenic was still half frozen and solid, but if it stays warmish that might get pretty mucky too ... Lots of big puddles over packed snow on that gravel road going in. I have 4WD but garbage tires FWIW. I'm definitely going to wait until it dries out before going back, all the people that find crazy fairburns there seem to pull them off the creek banks. Hadn't been there before but hope to get a camping trip or 2 out there this summer. This was mainly a scouting trip to find the place. Scenic, pardon the thumb: You can kind of see the road dropping down the hill:
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Post by Peruano on Feb 16, 2017 7:48:17 GMT -5
Your pet wood is pet wood. Trust your instincts. Your safest bet is the face polish one or both sides of the infinity sign. Depending on what you expose as you are doing that you will know whether its worth a cut or two down the middle. I'm making similar decisions on a bunch of agates that I'm working on now (not Fairburns).
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