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Post by driftwood on May 22, 2006 0:54:13 GMT -5
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Sept 23, 2006 2:14:48 GMT -5
Hey Driftwood (or anyone else, since the original poster has quit this forum),
That is some really spectacular poppy jasper, but it looks more along the lines of Morgan Hill than Mariposa, to me anyhow. I'm certainly no expert, but I've just never seen that kind of pattern in anything touted as Mariposa before, so I'm curious to hear more. -Don
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rallyrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since November 2005
Posts: 1,507
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Post by rallyrocks on Sept 23, 2006 9:00:03 GMT -5
Sabre52 (mel) is out resident Mariposa expert, he's got a ranch in Mariposa county and knows all the secret stashes for the poppy jaspers, and yes a lot of it does look like Morgan Hill, but it is definetly from Mariposa.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Sept 23, 2006 9:43:32 GMT -5
If I had to guess, my guess would be Morgan Hill too as most the Mariposa material trends towards the red end of the color scale. Have yet to cut any with that combination of yellow and orange. However, that being said, I am up to a dozen different finds and haven't dug them all extensively. I do have a boulder from one pit that looks kinda like Morgan Hill and haven't explored that one much so who knows, maybe the yellow will show up yet!.....mel
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Sept 23, 2006 20:19:09 GMT -5
Caymus: I believe you. There seems to be no end to the variety in those deposits and they're far more extensive than I ever realized. Unfortunately most are buried under 50 years of brush and weeds. I've got a long list of places I want to sample and seem to find more each time I go out. I think I enjoy the hunt more than any other facet of this hobby as I just love to go on rockabout in the wild country. My buddy actually bought an ultralight and scouts the areas by air ( he's the rockhound air force!) but then he's crazier than me!.....mel
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Oct 5, 2006 2:22:30 GMT -5
I don't mean to tread on anyone's toes here, but I just wanted to note that most Mariposa poppy jasper sold commercially will probably look something like the two pics I've attached below. I'm not disputing that there may be many other forms and variants of poppy jasper within Mariposa county, but I think it is fair to say that the "Mariposa poppy jasper" of the commercial trade will be much more like the pics I've attached, than like the variant shown at the start of this thread. Again, I don't mean to be anal about this, but since this is the Rock Identification Library, I think a clarification is warranted. -Don Commercial variations of Mariposa poppy jasper:
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Oct 5, 2006 10:54:08 GMT -5
Don: The pics you've posted are from the main Mariposa Poppy Jasper mine pit that provided most of the material we see on E-Bay and at gem shows all right. This was mined back in the 1960's with the best material actually being packed off and sent off to Germany for cutting. One additional claim was mined during this same period that produced similar material without the bright reds and a nearby pit produced fine brecciated jasper called Sierra Jasper. There are many many sites in the area though and at various times all have been sold under the title " Hornitos Jasper". Gems24, one of my favorite E-Bay sellers even sells the tiny orb material from what I call the Strawberry Jasper vein. There really seems to be no end to the colors and patterns at this location but I'd agree with you, for identification purposes, the two pics above are good type examples for the best of this material on the market. Page 6 in this section has pics of some of the other varieties I've posted....mel
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