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Post by Pat on Apr 3, 2013 18:47:47 GMT -5
NEW PHOTO Scott had suggested that I might find something good if I cleaned out the clay/mud/shells in the center. This is what I found. Could have been better ;D Now I can slice it. Got this at a recent sale. Also recently learned that the concentric lines following the edges allows one to call it fortified. Must be a more descriptive name for this pretty chunk! Enjoy and thanks for looking!
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 3, 2013 19:26:51 GMT -5
That is a beauty Mrs Pat.It amuses me that you folks out west can go to a 'yard sale' and pick up fine agates and cab machines.Lapidary goodies are few and far between here in the south
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Thunder69
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Post by Thunder69 on Apr 3, 2013 19:32:52 GMT -5
It is a nice Piece...Most of the time it is named by where it was found or who found it first...IE Fairburn agate ...Lakers....brazillians....The agates I find down here are associated with Crowley Ridge in Arkansas...I call them Thunder Agates because the relative term fortification/banded agate is so generic. I say BOOM everytime I find them... ;D...I have no idea on the proper name for yours but it sure is BOOM worthy...JOhn.
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 3, 2013 19:41:56 GMT -5
That one looks like Sowbelly Agate from Creede, Colorado. I suppose you'd call it more of a banded agate but it does show fortifications sometimes too. Usually has a bit of an amethystine (purple) hue but it's color is often fugitive and fades to grayish with exposure to sunlight......Mel
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 3, 2013 20:29:40 GMT -5
Sowbelly?It's a funny name.
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Post by Bikerrandy on Apr 3, 2013 20:37:02 GMT -5
Sowbelly for sure, I have a really nice slab of that stuff out in the shop.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 3, 2013 22:42:26 GMT -5
Pat,is Sowbelly a better name than fortification?In my opinion it is a rather obnoxious name LOL.It turned out a funny thread because of the name.I always like your threads.You are now the proud owner of an absolutely bueatiful piece of-Sowbelly
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 3, 2013 23:17:10 GMT -5
*L* Someone told me that the reason for the Sowbelly name is that that when sliced and viewed with transmitted light the banded appearance resembles bacon, hence, 'Sowbelly". Don't know if this is the real story or not.
"Fortification" is a term for a banded agate where the concentric bands have a holly leaf type pattern resembling the outline of the fortifications of a medieval castle or fort. So it's not an identifying name for an agate but rather a glossary term for a type of structure or formation found in many types of banded agate......Mel
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Post by Pat on Apr 3, 2013 23:32:27 GMT -5
James, yes we are lucky. You have all those nice slimy things! ;D
...and I was also wondering about the true name of Sowbelly, and if I actually preferred it. It makes me smile, and I can hardly wait to tell my friends that I am now the proud owner of a Sowbelly! ;D ;D
John, Is that whey you are Thunder 69? I like your BOOM!
Mel, thanks for the identification. I looked up Sowbelly Agate from Creede, Colorado, and learned a bit.
Mel, you read my mind. I was wondering about the difference between fortification and banded. I knew it referred to structure, but that is all. I'll hunt for a picture of each to compare. Thanks!
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 4, 2013 6:02:57 GMT -5
I will look for a silicified sap sucker.Then we would have....SILICIFIED SOW BELLIED SAP SUCKING SEWER MONSTER var. CALIFORTIFICATIONUS BYROZOANUS.HoHoHaHa Sorry,it must be the pain medicine. PS Another source of slime.... Smiling Jamesp
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Post by Pat on Apr 4, 2013 14:52:24 GMT -5
James, interesting and the name is, is, is something else I prefer your colorful sewer monsters and corals. By the way, what is that gray crumbling gunk in the center of my Sowbelly?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2013 14:59:42 GMT -5
By the way, what is that gray crumbling gunk in the center of my Sowbelly? Mud. Or clay if you prefer. The clay chemistry in combination with the silicate chemistry, determines the colors of the agates. This is an oversimplification of a very complicated process. But these are the basics as I have come to understand them. If you wash the clay out you may find a nice pocket of druzy.
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Post by jakesrocks on Apr 4, 2013 15:07:50 GMT -5
The gray, crumbly material appears to have bits of sea shell in it. Probably a piece of ancient sea bottom that the agate formed around. This is fortification in a Fairburn agate. What you have would be classified as banded agate.
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Post by Pat on Apr 4, 2013 18:11:55 GMT -5
Scott and Don, thanks for the mud information. Neat to have a shell pieces from the ocean bottom of so looooonnng ago. I'm going to dig them out with a dental pick and see if I have that nice druzy shotgunner mentioned. Now I am trying to determine the defining difference between banded and fortification agates.
Mel mentioned that fortification agates have a holly leaf configuration. My question: does it matter where the bands are? My guess is in the banded agate, the bands are near the surface or exterior of the rock around the edges, and that in fortification agate, they surround the cavity and in a holly, angular shape. Is that right? I hope! Thanks.
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 5, 2013 8:54:21 GMT -5
Pat: Put simply, all fortification agates are banded agates but not all banded agates are fortification agates. A fortification agate is a type of banded agate where the concentric bands are arranged in a fortification pattern ( or holly leaf type as another example). Many banded agates are not fortification agates. For example, Lakers and Botswanas usually have concentric banding but most are not fortified. Brazilians kind of go half and half with some fortified and some not, but all banded. Lace type agates are banded and may or may not have fortifications. Lots of Jasper agates may have moss or other inclusions and still have the occasional fortification so parts of them are fortification agate. Even many flints or cherts ie: Polish flint or Prairie Agate are banded with Liesgang lines but have no fortifications while others, like Flint Ridge Flint will have the occasional fortification. A fortification is just a type of structure found in an agate...Mel
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Post by jakesrocks on Apr 5, 2013 9:29:58 GMT -5
If you have time to read it, this link explains the different types of agate banding, and what caused them to form in the different manners. www.quartzpage.de/agate.html
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2013 16:00:35 GMT -5
Don, that link is really cool. His definition of agate is very narrow, but very cool to read.
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Post by tntmom on Apr 5, 2013 17:27:18 GMT -5
Pat, I received a huge chunk of Sowbelly a long time ago from Dicky the Rockhunter. Much of it has been slabbed already but I will take a picture of the remaining chunk and post it for you. Dicky mines it in Creed, CO and states that the black spots are real silver!
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Post by tntmom on Apr 5, 2013 17:37:53 GMT -5
Ok, here's the remaining chunk that I have:
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Apr 6, 2013 9:03:49 GMT -5
Sowbelly-the perfect agate for Mrs Pat.I will see if jelly fish have silicified...
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