181lizard
Cave Dweller
Still lurking :)
Member since December 2005
Posts: 2,171
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Post by 181lizard on Aug 24, 2007 12:47:05 GMT -5
Yesterday, a girlfriend & I were driving through the Warm Springs Reservation in Oregon & I spotted some green rocks in the middle of a formation right by the road. (my girlfriend is the daughter-in-law of grandpa Wilbur. Some of you may remember pics of their yard) Here's some of what we brought home. closeup It's REALLY soft in some places. Like compacted clay. Other areas it appears to be harder. Tumbling the green is out of the question...but the little round white areas are like little mini thundereggs. this is one of the mini eggs. Has a nice little hard brown skin on the outside. this is the inside. I'm gonna play with some of these & see what happens!
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 24, 2007 13:09:01 GMT -5
Hey that is very cool. I mined stuff just like that when we were visiting my sister in law at Naches, Washington. The gem map I got the location from called it "Thunderegg Matrix". Same green color with all the little T-Eggs and everything. I've actually tumbled a little of it and it make's kind of bumpy tumbles as the t-egg part is hard and some of the rhyolite is softer but it does polish so makes an interesting specimen anyway. Here's a pic of some of the pile I brought back....Mel Here are a couple of slabs I cut from one of the lighter colored sections. Neat how some of the eggs all run together.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Aug 24, 2007 13:24:44 GMT -5
Verrrrrry interesting, and not too far away from me. So would this be considered a rhyolite??? Almost reminds me of pre-Rainforest Jasper since that is technically a Rhyolite as well.
Shannon
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 24, 2007 13:30:59 GMT -5
Shannon: It's very similar to Rainforest Jasper, actually almost identical if you get a good piece. I would definitely classify it as mainly orbicular rhyolite but definately full of well organized thundereggs too. The largest eggs were in a hunk I gave my inlaw and they were almost three inches across. I gave my greenest piece to a sphere maker who was gonna cut a sphere block out and block the rest into sizes to fit my saw and I've not heard from him since....Mel
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Post by texaswoodie on Aug 24, 2007 14:58:17 GMT -5
Very strange.
Curt
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181lizard
Cave Dweller
Still lurking :)
Member since December 2005
Posts: 2,171
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Post by 181lizard on Aug 24, 2007 16:54:45 GMT -5
Mel...jackpot!!! It really is almost identical. Yours look to be harder but essentially the same. In some of the pieces, it does almost look like rainforest jasper. Some spots look like a mushroom jasper...then I started noticing the little circles were really well formed and some had the star shape of Oregon thundereggs I've seen. It totally makes sense to call it thunderegg matrix. Shannon...from Gresham, it's probably less than an hour to get to the spot in the road. And it is right on the main road...no turnin here & there! In the place we stopped, I found this... a greenish balck rock that looks like a combo of serp. & obsidian, (doubtfull it is obsidian. I just used that cause it describes what it looks like...very shiney) and some very beautiful green rock that at first looked like wildhorse or blue mtn jasper but is too soft to do other than say it's a wonderful color. Technically...I probably shouldn't have touched a rock since it is on Reservation...but I just couldn't help myself.
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181lizard
Cave Dweller
Still lurking :)
Member since December 2005
Posts: 2,171
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Post by 181lizard on Aug 24, 2007 16:55:43 GMT -5
Hey Mel...Where's Naches Washington?
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luv2hound
freely admits to licking rocks
I try & I try, but dang it! Those rocks just keep ending up in my pockets
Member since June 2007
Posts: 890
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Post by luv2hound on Aug 24, 2007 17:45:49 GMT -5
How strange and wonderful. What a great find for you. I know you'll have fun discovering all of its secrets.
~~Mitzi~~
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Post by cpdad on Aug 24, 2007 18:04:56 GMT -5
now that is different...little baby thunder eggs....who would have thunked it ;D....nice....kev.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 24, 2007 18:28:27 GMT -5
Liz: Naches is on Highway 12 about 17 miles NW of Yakima, the dig site is in National Forest along the Little Naches River NE of Nile on Hwy 210 or 410? I forget which. I have the exact map directions in my notebook somewhere if you're interested. There are several T-Egg digs nearby too but bow hunters had the road blocked while I was there so I couldn't try them out...Mel
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Post by joe on Aug 24, 2007 22:09:59 GMT -5
That is a very cool sorta rock you found! Congrat's.
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Post by LCARS on Aug 25, 2007 10:08:48 GMT -5
Very cool, thanks for posting.
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