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Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 4, 2009 18:06:58 GMT -5
Google Earth is an amazing tool for rockhounding, if you are not already using it. Combine that with GPS, and you can actually locate what you can see from space. Google Earth will let you sample coordinates and more importantly elevations, so you can evaluate the difficulty of the hike before hand. The first photo shows one of my favourite collection sites, Partridge Island, near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. The white triangles are GPS benchmarks so that I don’t drift too far off course, and can check distances with my hand-held. The red rockfalls are prime locations for agates eroded from the cliffs above. The second photo shows how you can “fly” around the island to look for geologic features that may yield finds. If you still think north is up, you are looking at the western face of the island as though you were out at sea. And what does all this technology lead to? Although it is the end of the season and thing are getting pretty picked over, I did manage to find these in about an hour of combing through the basalt rubble. There not he prize finds of the Spring, but I think I’ll keep ‘em. Another GPS advantage … I noted some large agate seams in the cliff faces about 100 feet overhead. If all goes well, they will be at the base of the cliff next April, when it is huntin’ season agin’. The freeze thaw cycles remove a lot of material every year. I entered the coordinates of the potential finds and stored them away for next year. Darryl.
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Post by tkrueger3 on Oct 4, 2009 20:12:45 GMT -5
That's pretty darn neat that you can do that. And the stuff you picked up looks like it contains some delicious promises, too. Of course, I can Google Earth where I'm located, but I won't find anything except limestone and some flint, and west of here, maybe a little quartz. I got no beaches like that!
But with several inches of rain in the last couple days, I do have a creek in front of the house - it'll revert back to a street by tomorrow!
Tom
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Post by texaswoodie on Oct 4, 2009 21:18:02 GMT -5
Bing.com has an even better vew. It's called "birds eye view" and gets much closer than Google Earth. The bad part is that it doesn't work everywhere. I have found some great fossil locations using it.
Curt
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free4rms
freely admits to licking rocks
My little pet walrus
Member since January 2007
Posts: 839
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Post by free4rms on Oct 5, 2009 8:20:40 GMT -5
Some of those pieces remind me of Tahoma Jasper.
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Post by 150FromFundy on Oct 5, 2009 19:56:51 GMT -5
free4rms - I checked out your website because until then, I didn't know what Tahoma Jasper was. WOW! I wish my material looked so nice when finished. I like the way you use the drilled up-eye to secure your pendants. I'm going to try this because I don't trust the folded leaf bails that I have been glueing. - Darryl.
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Post by Jack, lapidaryrough on Oct 5, 2009 20:16:22 GMT -5
Google earth is my best rock hounding tool, Here in Oregon best tool to see through the tree`s and to fine the next ridge over the hill.
The USGS map link is good resource, And the Natural geographic map site is good.
Best to look at all maps to fine the best for the area of interest.
I use G-earth to map claims.
And to fine area`s from old gem magazines.
Darryl;
Thankyou for posting your fines and the reminder of the tech world we live in.
New maps for google earth are photograph daily to cover the areas of cloud cover, That were shot.
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