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Post by tims on Jul 31, 2015 17:32:08 GMT -5
gingerkid no, so far it's a one-man show. I'd like to find someone with real knowledge to do a walk-through with me sometime and maybe help identify some things and tell me what has value or needs special care etc. As far as getting everything above ground and visible it's on me. I did try my best Tom Sawyer impersonation, telling my buddies how fun it is to excavate and clean up piles of rocks but so far nobody has bought it
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Post by tims on Jul 30, 2015 0:12:05 GMT -5
gingerkid, the belemnites were a shed find; I need to go through that can and clean up / take a better look at the individual pieces. I'll post pics if there are pretty ones. I've been trying to avoid the shed until I get the yard collection sorted but that might take a couple more summers. The shed holds 25 coffee cans full of smaller stuff, plus 6 big cans (5 gallon?) with medium to small stuff. And a wooden box of fossilized stuff, several good sized chunks of obsidian and some other larger pieces that for whatever reason were precious enough not to leave out in the weather. All of that needs to be sorted through, but again I'm hoping to leave the best for last and get through the massive piles around the yard first. Have been occupied with house repairs and removing trees / brush / junk, etc. so visible progress on the rock display is still pretty disappointing. I did grunt out a big field agate and pet wood today, each of which was heavier than that dainty jasper Hopefully I'll have more to share before the snow flies.
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Post by tims on Jul 28, 2015 19:51:28 GMT -5
A couple for fossilman ...
The long one is about 9" long, 4" diameter. The shorter piece has much better detail. I've got a can full of small pointy ends but I'm not sure if they're baculite end pieces or what ...
Tim post photos of the end pieces....Could possibly be pieces of busted ammonites too...
Hey Fossilman here's that can of "snake tails." I think they're belemnites not baculite.
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Post by tims on Jul 28, 2015 1:41:05 GMT -5
Very fun but it made my brain hurt trying to keep up with identifications. +1 for needing slow motion.
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Post by tims on Jul 27, 2015 15:39:16 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing. What's that last one, the gray and green-yellow?
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Post by tims on Jul 15, 2015 15:07:21 GMT -5
I'm planning to attend. Do you know what the schedule will be like? Looking at their flyer it looked like Thursday might be mainly for setup and orientation for the vendors so I may camp around Sheridan Thursday night and try to ride in halfway early on Friday. I'm interested mainly in looking at displays and maybe catching a couple of lectures, plus showing a pocketful of mystery rocks around in hopes of gleaning IDs.
I'll be the ugly guy with a Redwings hat and faded green Kawasaki.
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Post by tims on Jul 6, 2015 1:14:23 GMT -5
jamesp thanks for adding more pics and for the info regarding formation. Metamorphosis is fascinating, in pseudomorphs especially. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how an organic material can be preserved long enough for it to be altered / replaced entirely by minerals.
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Post by tims on Jul 2, 2015 0:31:11 GMT -5
Really neat finds. I've found some small broken pieces of similar looking stuff but you're getting some really nice big intact specimens. Thanks for sharing. What area are you finding pieces tims ? Black Hills, never more than one or two in a specific spot and never near water. If I run across better examples tomorrow I'll post pics; could only find a couple in the dark and on closer inspection their similarity isn't great. But, botryoidal on a thin crust:
May be no relation. It's entirely possible I just really really wanted some pieces that look like yours ...
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Post by tims on Jul 1, 2015 1:18:17 GMT -5
I like her nail polish, gives her some rockhound street cred.
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Post by tims on Jun 30, 2015 22:53:10 GMT -5
Thanks for all the information. Next trip I'll ignore the signs and follow my nose a little bit. Will probably drive instead of ride too; motorcycles aren't the best for rock hounding ...
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Post by tims on Jun 30, 2015 19:32:30 GMT -5
Just a heads up if you're thinking about visiting the Fairburn agate beds ... you might need a bigger boat. The French Creek crossing is still probably 3' to 4' deep and flowing strong:
Anyone know of another crossing to access the agate beds?
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Post by tims on Jun 30, 2015 19:02:59 GMT -5
Bizarre. It looks like marrow. Do you think it was preserved in mud or clay or something that prevented it decomposing until it fossilized?
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Post by tims on Jun 30, 2015 18:56:22 GMT -5
Really neat finds. I've found some small broken pieces of similar looking stuff but you're getting some really nice big intact specimens. Thanks for sharing.
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Post by tims on Jun 27, 2015 2:16:07 GMT -5
For the life of me, the can of end pieces escapes me They'll turn up.
In the meantime, chipping away at the stone. This big red jasper is symbolic of why I'm so slow; it was completely buried under dirt, and wrestling it around to scrub it with brush and water put an end to my day. For future reference, don't bury pitted rocks
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Post by tims on Jun 27, 2015 2:02:43 GMT -5
Another piece but this time with smooth white shell and a seam of pink and orange.
Several of the pieces with this speckled green also have patches of purple-pink crystal:
I've about convinced myself it's not agate; leaning toward common opal.
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Post by tims on Jun 26, 2015 18:01:19 GMT -5
I might ask at the local gravel quarry --- I see the cuts they make in the hills every time I drive down HWY 16 and invariably wonder what kind of goodies must be hidden in there. Interesting possibility, thanks for the info sir.
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Post by tims on Jun 24, 2015 23:52:04 GMT -5
Wow a really colorful variety of pet wood there. The carnelian is awesome.
I wonder if that's common practice at quarries? Makes me want to go hunt their throwaway piles.
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Post by tims on Jun 24, 2015 15:40:28 GMT -5
Fossilman I'm not sure where it came from, part of my inherited old collection. I don't plan to cut it as I have other agatized wood that would probably cut prettier and I like this piece as-is.
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Post by tims on Jun 23, 2015 22:36:22 GMT -5
Carnelian. Thank you gingerkid ! ID tips are greatly appreciated.
Hey Fossilman I'll try to dig out those end pieces. I've been so focused on the yard I'd almost forgotten the stuff in the shed. There are cans and cans but I should be able to dig them out, I thinned out the shed contents last summer and got things accessible at least.
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Post by tims on Jun 23, 2015 22:24:38 GMT -5
Yeah it's pet wood.
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