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Post by sheltie on Jun 10, 2013 14:56:28 GMT -5
I won a slab yesterday at my local club meeting that I need help with. Unfortunately, it defies having a picture taken. I'll describe it the best I can. The color is a very dark green, it has mossy agate in about 1/4 of it and there are arching marks such as you would identify with saw blade marks throughout which are very faint. The marks are DEFINITELY not blade marks, they are ingrained in the rock. When looked at a certain angle outside, the green is a very rich dark green color, almost a Kelly (I think). The pictures I took, both inside and outside make the slab look like a dark rock. When backlit, you can certainly easily see through the agatized part but the rest still comes out like a black blob. All I know is that it's a dark green, mossy agate something or other.
I know that isn't as much as we need to go on but it's all I have. Any ideas?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2013 16:18:20 GMT -5
I am of no help accept to point out he is seeking help, not hell!! I will add something though. Do the false saw marks seem like they might be bands in the agate itself?
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Post by deb193redux on Jun 10, 2013 16:49:05 GMT -5
green moss agate from India is often so dense it looks near solid forest green
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Post by sheltie on Jun 10, 2013 18:36:54 GMT -5
I am of no help accept to point out he is seeking help, not hell!! I will add something though. Do the false saw marks seem like they might be bands in the agate itself? Fast fingers, slow brain! I'm positive that the marks really are bands of some type.
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Post by sheltie on Jun 10, 2013 18:39:02 GMT -5
green moss agate from India is often so dense it looks near solid forest green I thought of this also but the person who I got it from said he collected it and I don't think he's ever left Texas! It sure reminds me of that though.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2013 20:55:53 GMT -5
well, hell's bell's We have seen so much variety in west Texas. Between Jamesp and Mel, we have seen every possible variety. Even one that looked like a Fairburn! I fully admit to being the new guy. Am I wrong in speculating that it might not be a locality rock and instead a generic Texas stone?
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 10, 2013 23:02:42 GMT -5
There is lots of dense green moss found in Texas Rio Grande gravel and those may have originally come from the Needle Peak region near Big bend park because there's lots of green moss out there too....Mel
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Post by sheltie on Jun 11, 2013 8:06:20 GMT -5
There is lots of dense green moss found in Texas Rio Grande gravel and those may have originally come from the Needle Peak region near Big bend park because there's lots of green moss out there too....Mel That could make sense. The only thing that stops me from totally agreeing is the faint banding throughout the slab. Otherwise, and despite the banding, your suggestion makes the best sense. I have a lot of rough and slabs from that area, but none of this particular color. The "bad" thing about it is that since the color is so dark, it wouldn't make a decent display slab or even a good cab.
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 11, 2013 14:30:48 GMT -5
Sheltie. Most the moss from this area intergrades with jasper as jasper is basically just moss where the inclusions are so dense as to render the example opaque. As such, you can have bands, orbs, blotches etc formed by areas of the moss that have these opaque areas included within the less densely packed moss agate. You should take a look at Darwin Dillon's flicker photostream ( dardilrocks photostream) sets on Texas moss agate and jasper. You can see the variety of Texas moss and jasper very well there....Mel
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Post by sheltie on Jun 11, 2013 15:29:48 GMT -5
So would this then possibly be jaspagate? The mossy agate portion is very obvious and I can see how one could call the rest jasper. Personally, most of the jaspagate I have are similar to that from YellowCat , UT with many, many different colors.. This doesn't fit that mold. Man, I sure wish I could get a decent picture, but I can't.
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 11, 2013 15:58:51 GMT -5
Jasp/agate is simply a generic term for a jasper/agate construct which is partially translucent chalcedony and partially opaque jasper so yes you could call your example that if it has those characteristics. Most all included agates (moss agates, plume agates, sagenite, etc) are jasper/agate....Mel
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