elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jun 17, 2011 19:37:37 GMT -5
At the end of each school year, I bring a load of material to school for the students to have a chance to get. They sift through sand to find numbered rocks and the numbers correspond to different prizes: fossils, geodes, crystals, fossil casts, petrified wood, etc. I also bring a bucket of Hauser Bed geodes. I was given a pile of these eggs from Mel when he moved, so I cut some, but a lot I just bring to school to smash open for the students. Most of these t-eggs are specimen quality, but every once in a while there's one that forces me to lay claim and take it back home. A couple days ago, I smashed one that produced what is, in my experience, an incredibly rare geode from the Hauser beds. And if I had cut it, it would have been ruined... Take a look: And, yeah, I claimed it... Thanks for looking, Lowell
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Post by tntmom on Jun 17, 2011 19:48:46 GMT -5
Wow, that is amazing. If I didn't know that was a geode, I would have sworn it was a small sea anenome! Very cool!
~Krystee
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blr2449
has rocks in the head
Can I retire now?
Member since January 2011
Posts: 554
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Post by blr2449 on Jun 17, 2011 19:50:18 GMT -5
OH. WOW!! Almost looks like coral strands as they grow underwater.
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Post by Toad on Jun 17, 2011 19:56:27 GMT -5
So what is the pink stuff?
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elementary
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2006
Posts: 1,077
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Post by elementary on Jun 17, 2011 20:09:21 GMT -5
The pink stuff - I'm guessin' - is formed by a thin layer of agate covering a small thin cluster of needle-like crystals.
I would imagine if the rest of the cavity ever filled with agate, these things would have looked a lot like sagenite - or pseudomorphs...
But this is a formation I haven't really studied, so I'm hoping someone else can enlighten me (and us.)
What's cool about this is the color - pink isn't exactly the most common color in the Hauser Beds. It's there, but not as common as blue, white, or black.
Lowell
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Post by roy on Jun 17, 2011 20:10:36 GMT -5
wow nice one !
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Post by onatah on Jun 17, 2011 20:24:29 GMT -5
That is a really interesting piece.
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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 Jun 17, 2011 22:00:44 GMT -5
Holy smoke Lowell, that's a cool find. I'd say you're dead right. Looks like pink agate over acicular calcite or aragonite crystals. Basically free standing sagenite. I found one like that once but it was purplish blue not pink. The pink is striking. I have one somewhere with a pink calcite rose formation of bladed crystals too. Hausers are just a lot of fun.....Mel
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Post by drocknut on Jun 17, 2011 22:52:19 GMT -5
that is really cool and unique - definitely a good specimen
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Post by Roller on Jun 17, 2011 23:11:03 GMT -5
stunning !
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rockhound97058
freely admits to licking rocks
Thundereggs - Oregons Official State Rock!
Member since January 2006
Posts: 760
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Post by rockhound97058 on Jun 17, 2011 23:24:52 GMT -5
Great Specimen - Often times we see specimens like this at Richardson's Ranch with close formation (different color). Our guess is the start of moss agate. However ours are usually attached from the floor to the top of the specimen. This one in your case - as Mel said could very well be the start of a sagenite burst with a secondary of agate coating.
A couple weeks ago I was digging with John at Richardson's Ranch with the back hoe and he found a few hollow eggs with plume that formed, broke and glue to the floor of the egg. Never seen anything like it - Beautiful plume burst just by itself, no agate around it.
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Post by paulshiroma on Jun 18, 2011 1:28:37 GMT -5
That's really cool of you to share all that stuff with the kids, as well, Lowell. Great way to get the kids interested in the sciences at a practical level. And yes, that's a really interesting piece!
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NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
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Post by NDK on Jun 18, 2011 20:58:53 GMT -5
Cool!
Nate
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carloscinco
fully equipped rock polisher
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Post by carloscinco on Jun 19, 2011 8:28:50 GMT -5
Thanks for posting that neat geode and the explanation and theories are a great way to kick start the imagination on a Sunday morning.
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garock
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Post by garock on Jun 19, 2011 9:58:18 GMT -5
Wow ! A very nice geode. I crack geodes at rock shows and festivals and I have had some I did not want to sell after I cracked them open. I do take pictures of them, so I reckon they are not lot to memory. Thanks for sharing !
Still Digging in Georgia's High Heat and Humidity, Frankie
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Post by tanyafrench on Jun 20, 2011 18:12:48 GMT -5
That's one sweet Geode. Did the kids object to you claiming that one?
Tanya
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AGATEGRRRL
spending too much on rocks
AGATEGRRRL
Member since October 2007
Posts: 466
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Post by AGATEGRRRL on Jul 2, 2011 19:06:56 GMT -5
Wow, very cool!
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