New self-collected South Dakota rough, Fairburn
Nov 22, 2017 8:26:48 GMT -5
Fossilman, rockpickerforever, and 4 more like this
Post by dakotabirder on Nov 22, 2017 8:26:48 GMT -5
The weather this past weekend was warm. Warm from the standpoint of a South Dakotan. With temps around 55 and no wind for a change, I spent Sunday poking around Buffalo Gap National Grasslands. I tried a new spot, and it really paid off. It just didn't seem as "picked over" as my typical spot near Kadoka, as right away, I started finding scads of bubblegum agates, prairie agates, honey agates (at least that's what I call the clear, amber-colored ones), big chunks of petrified wood, and more.
Best find of the day...10 minutes in, just a little after sunset, I found the beautiful Fairburn pictured below. Definitely appreciating the rarity of them now, given that I'd estimate we spend about 12-15 hours for every Fairburn we've found. This one just stood out so clearly in the morning sun, and it's certainly unusual looking with the fortification banding surrounding a beautiful rosy-quart center. Another great day on the grasslands, can't wait to see how some of these polish up (not the Fairburn though!).
1) - A really nice Fairburn found right after dawn
2) The rough material I ended up bringing home. As usual, a lot of prairie agates and bubblegum agates, as well as all kinds of other material. You're limited to 25 pounds of material you can take in one day...otherwise I would have probably kept more of these big chunks of petrified wood I kept finding.
Best find of the day...10 minutes in, just a little after sunset, I found the beautiful Fairburn pictured below. Definitely appreciating the rarity of them now, given that I'd estimate we spend about 12-15 hours for every Fairburn we've found. This one just stood out so clearly in the morning sun, and it's certainly unusual looking with the fortification banding surrounding a beautiful rosy-quart center. Another great day on the grasslands, can't wait to see how some of these polish up (not the Fairburn though!).
1) - A really nice Fairburn found right after dawn
2) The rough material I ended up bringing home. As usual, a lot of prairie agates and bubblegum agates, as well as all kinds of other material. You're limited to 25 pounds of material you can take in one day...otherwise I would have probably kept more of these big chunks of petrified wood I kept finding.
