jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 13:05:18 GMT -5
At first glance, I thought this looked like a Turkish Stick Agate! (I love this piece!!) You'd be in heaven at the Rio smorgasbord Jason.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 13:03:28 GMT -5
May Randy collect crap in peace. Rock on Randy !
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 12:43:46 GMT -5
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 12:41:50 GMT -5
This was interesting Dave(from Wiki): "Plant roots play an important role in caliche formation, by releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide into the A horizon of the soil. Carbon dioxide levels here can exceed 15 times normal atmospheric values."
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 12:14:07 GMT -5
Interesting that red jasper is the predominant color in the coprolites. Perhaps due to iron and it being so common. Funny that the Feds restrict collecting bone but not the coprolite. The coprolite probably has more evidence of the past than the bones do.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 10:02:54 GMT -5
24 hours/day is hard on any equipment Patty. I'm curious how that unit holds up. I had seen similar on Alibaba and found them something I would like to try. It would be nice to have a 25 to 30 rpm setting for finishing abrasives. Oddly, the hex barrel is more gentle than a round barrel according to info I read, so that is in your favor. I hope it goes the distance for you.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 8:31:18 GMT -5
Is the white coating caliche Randy ? I was curious if you find footprints. If so, have you ever noticed if they are typically headed uphill ?
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 7:55:20 GMT -5
jamespThose are some beauty’s Jim! I’m happy that you have found a nice honey hole! There is a thin layer from Alabama to Texas that yields pet wood Ashley. That layer gets thinner as it goes east toward Alabama. Nice that the layer made it far enough east to be 100 miles from my home.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 7:43:53 GMT -5
jamesp that big chunk looks really nice! Is the "plum" color I'm seeing on the sides and top chips accurate? Love that color. That's right Robin. The tumbles display some of the best colors. Very few will make flashy cabs but as a variety batch of tumbles this material scores well.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 7:40:06 GMT -5
Ooooh!!! I can see why you didn't want to leave that one! Definitely a labor of love for that one!! If you need any advice on dragging a watercraft, let me know...I can tell you a thing or two about that! LOL Apparently you found out there is nothing like floating a river 10 miles and finding out only 5 miles of floatable water is available.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 9, 2022 6:56:17 GMT -5
Alligators live over 50 years jasoninsd. They were endangered in the 70's. Their population increased and restricted hunting commenced. For the past couple of decades they rarely reach 20-30 years of age. William Bartram explored alligator territory in the late 1700's and likely had seen the their maximum size. Probably larger than the ones seen in today's population. A 13 foot gator is a fairly easy target using today's methods. In Florida they tie a chicken to a section of broomstick and tie a large ball to the other end. He grabs it and the hunter waits till the ball surfaces and the stick is in the gator's stomach. Then harvest begins. They use a small caliber gun for the kill, a 44 mag will blow them to pieces.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 22:01:59 GMT -5
RickB I had a small cabin on Lake George for 20 years. Walk out to shore at night and shine floodlight and see 30-40 pairs of red eyes. Few residents live on the big lake and gators are unusually big due to the heavy deer population wading the unoccupied shores. Just checked it's gator status: "According to Florida Fish and Wildlife, Lake George has 2,322 gators, 26 of which are bull gators. Alligator encounters are plentiful year-round, making it the second most alligator-infested lake in the United States." The lake gators were regularly 12-13 feet long. But the Ocklawaha River gators that swam against the fairly strong current regularly were athletic and aggressive. They were rarely longer than 9.5 feet but to be respected.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 7:47:05 GMT -5
Texas shinkwood or 'pocket rot'. This wood petrified after rotting and separating. Friend's finds. Remember 1dave you mention petrified rotting wood ? Texas shrinkwood altered by silicification process
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 7:39:02 GMT -5
This Texas find has a unique structure
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 7:34:28 GMT -5
1dave Bravura Cabochon DesignsI am guessing these are all the same plant. Note that no specimen out of 100's has been found to have a single limb knot... Many petrifications are not wood. Especially down south and especially in Texas where over 400 fossil palm species have been ID'ed.(there are only about a dozen palm species in North America today). There were so many other species beyond cyclades, ferns, palms, etc that it is often impossible to identify the diverse plant life back then. Call it the Garden of Eden . I picked these plant petrifications up in south Texas in a couple of weeks. There are some insane plant structures. No telling what crazy species existed back then. Most seem not to be wood or fern or cyclad, no telling what species they might be. Then you enter the distortion effects of silicification and things get real complicated. You may have the answer. The Alabama paleontologists have been challenged in making an ID. Texas petrifications of 'mystery species' and wood and palm: www.flickr.com/photos/67205364@N06/sets/72157673525247354This Texas plant resembles the plant in Alabama. I found a lot of it. It was typically red too. Cross sawn it resembles the Alabama plant closely with the blotchy texture and no rings.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 7:09:37 GMT -5
With all that mica and schistose appearance I’m pretty sure this is quartz mica schist and not petrified wood. Mica schist can have very fine grained quartz and it’s common for some mica schist to be predominantly quartz (segregated quartz). The grains look more like bedding planes than grain/ growth rings in wood. These appear to be combination silicified sand casts and replacements. The sand washed down from the mica rich Appalachians. Even the silicified sandstone(Tallahatta Sandstone) his mica particles in it. This plant appears to be a vascular or palm and not necessarily a woody with rings. Not to far from here 10" diameter non-woody equisetum(horsetail) can be found. There is a geological article back in this thread describing the process. The map a few pages back shows the 200 mile long Coker formation where wood is common. Next to and above this formation is a metagranite/metavolcanic layer(tail of Appalachians). The volcanic ash based clay likely supplied the silica. I see your point though. Logs are common at site.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 6:46:40 GMT -5
A couple of angels missed their Daddy after he returned from an all day rock hunt. The dark one is the pup and has become a Daddy's girl.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 6:30:00 GMT -5
Jim, the colors and variations in those is stellar!! I love the "yard art" idea too!! I could see a short walk path (somewhere on your property) with paving/walking stones surrounded by the pieces that wouldn't polish... Thanks Jason. I suppose they could be stuck into concrete and wiped clean as if grouting tile. The highly silicified ones could be picked out and polished. They are obvious. Then replaced with the ones that won't polish. The shaping is the time consuming part and it has been done. I drug this 40 pounder from out of the creek yesterday and took it thru the woods using a dolly to the jeep. It is heavily stained but you can see it's colors in the small chips on top. It is solid and all polish grade. I haven't looked at or collected but about 5% of the creek deposit where the well silicified material is located. It is difficult to walk up the creek due to the large chunks of wood littering it's bottom. I'll bring the small kayak and paddle thru the deeper pools and drag it past the low falls filling it up.
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 6:16:12 GMT -5
Lol. so true jasoninsd. Or if keeping up with 5 kids she may have been carrying the youngest and the 40 pound chunk of rock at the same time !
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Post by jamesp on Jul 8, 2022 5:16:36 GMT -5
PS That is a heck of a chunk to carry !
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