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Post by Bluesky78987 on Feb 4, 2013 11:34:27 GMT -5
Was wondering what this is? It looks like Pet wood, based on the "rings" (hard to see in the photo, but the vertical lines in the big white areas at the left of the slab look like wood), but it has something chatoyant -- looks like tiger eye - running all through it. Thoughts? Got it from a bargain bin at Quartzsite. It's about 4" x 5".
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 4, 2013 12:44:16 GMT -5
If it actually has chatoyance ( flash) it's probably binghamite or silkstone. They often show that layered effect....Mel
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Feb 4, 2013 13:04:18 GMT -5
It's definitely chatoyant. Looks just like strings of tiger eye. Googling pictures, it seems like a pretty good match. Thanks Mel.
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 4, 2013 13:07:18 GMT -5
Awesome rock!
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snuffy
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Post by snuffy on Feb 4, 2013 13:08:03 GMT -5
Is tiger iron a possibility?
snuffy
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Post by gingerkid on Feb 4, 2013 13:16:33 GMT -5
Nice score, Susan! Is tiger iron a possibility? snuffy Wondered the same, snuffy. Mel, isn't silkstone more chatoyant than binghamite? Are the white areas in Susan's piece possibly quartz?
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Post by drocknut on Feb 4, 2013 13:26:26 GMT -5
Don't know what it is but it sure looks cool. Wow, I should have gone shopping with you in Q.
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 4, 2013 14:02:23 GMT -5
Gingerkid: I'm not an expert in either of those materials but as I understand it, the two materials come from the same region and are very similar. Binghamite tends to have the quartz inclusions and black areas of hematite and often more red. The chatoyant areas tend to be more in bands like the example pictured. Silkstone is usually more golden with the fibers arranged in a more random manner. Think composition is very much alike and they vary more in the way they are put together than they do in mineral composition. Both can have pretty strong flash when properly oriented...Mel
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Feb 4, 2013 14:08:36 GMT -5
Is it valuable? Wikipedia says it is "sought after".
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 4, 2013 16:19:29 GMT -5
Blue: Yep, good slabs can be pretty darn spendy, especially when far from the source and very solid. Some examples tend to have a lot of pits or loose fibers.. I imagine for the locals up there in the Iron ranges, as with many materials, it's more common and less expensive. The examples with a lot of red are the pricier pieces I've seen at shows...Mel
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n8hounder
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Post by n8hounder on Feb 6, 2013 1:25:16 GMT -5
Very beautiful, The stone is nice too .. It similarities to some I can find here..I wonder what type of wood it is...
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Minnesota Daniel
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Post by Minnesota Daniel on Feb 6, 2013 2:37:44 GMT -5
I think it's Binghamite, but I have seen opposing definitions of which is Binghamite and which is Silkstone. Neither have been found anywhere except in the tailings from the underground mines on the Cayuna Iron Range in North Central Minnesota. Those are all closed now, and the tailings piles are on private property or they have been reforested. I have read that tailings have been used as aggregate though, so if you know where to look, you might find it in county road ditches.
Isn't there also an Arizona or California tiger-eye that might look like that?
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Feb 6, 2013 10:59:03 GMT -5
Thanks All. Daniel, I've seen a couple of pics of the AZ tigereye, and it looks more brecciated and more homogeneous than this (but could have just been that piece).
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Feb 6, 2013 12:52:35 GMT -5
Daniel: The fibers in silkstone and Binghamite are supposedly goethite while those in AZ tigereye and the California Tigereye are asbestos. Neither of the last two materials are as showy as the Iron range material but I have seen a couple of slabs of California material that were pretty neat and almost reminded me of muted examples pf Pietersite, being sort of pale blue and light golden brown in color. The AZ stuff is usually kind of a silvery gray/green color with a lot of loose fibers so I imagine it's a bit dangerous to work....Mel
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billg22
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Post by billg22 on Feb 6, 2013 13:03:14 GMT -5
Hi Susan, Nice find! How many pounds of material did you bring back?
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Post by Bluesky78987 on Feb 6, 2013 13:26:26 GMT -5
Hi Bill. Brought back 1 or 2 lbs, lol. Been taking some pics, gonna write a trip report one of these evenings. I ran into Ira and his wife there, they said Tracy was there too but I didn't see him. Did you go?
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Feb 6, 2013 13:49:09 GMT -5
Yes, it looks like Binghamite to me. The Binghamite with more red (or better yet, green or blue) can be valuable. I've seen slabs for $100 or more, depending on size and quality. Generally, the more quartz or hematite, the lower the value. Chatoyance should be in any of the jasper areas (yellow, red, etc.), and sometimes in the quartz.
What I've seen called Silkstone is nearly all chatoyant yellow jasper. Pietersite and Tiger Iron are close cousins to Binghamite, but I think without chatoyance.
Chuck
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Minnesota Daniel
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Post by Minnesota Daniel on Feb 6, 2013 18:04:01 GMT -5
Mel,
I have only see a couple pictures of Arizona Tiger-eye, and one did look a little bit like this slab. It was a lot more like the way you describe it though.
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