opisthorchis
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2013
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Post by opisthorchis on Sept 5, 2013 12:37:24 GMT -5
Hello all, you have been a great help with my previous pebbles and whilst I am managing to ID some myself, I am still getting stumped! I spotted this rock at the beach and thought the orange, red patterns were interesting www.flickr.com/photos/hd-qld/9681812370/The stone is about 6" long and 3" high and 3" wide at its widest. It's also very heavy, doesn't scratch with a pen knife, it does a little bit with a steel nail. The hammer had no effect on it. When wet, the red and orange colours form little pockets/islands of colour. On looking closer you can see lots of black thread like lines, most of which are confined to the pockets of colour. There are parts of the rock that don't have these black lines. Have tried googling to get an idea about what it may be, but i am not sure what to even call these markings! Using my microscope didn't help me see anything clearer. there doesn't appear to be any obvious crystals on the surface and trying to get a look inside failed. I did manage a dent in it with a dremel diamond bit, but the small mark i made took ages. So any suggestions, or hints on what the terminology is for the markings or even an idea of what it is would be greatly appreciated!!! Again, the stone is from Ayrshire, Scotland. Also, I keep getting the message that i cant post files directly as the quota is used up. Am i doing something wrong?? Thanks!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2013 12:51:30 GMT -5
I would take a guess but I would probably be wrong. Some of the yellow in the last photo looks like it could be moss agate. Agatized coprolite (dino poop) is another option. There will be others on here that can pin it down better than me. What area of the world are you in?
Whatever it is it is going to make some very nice cabs. It looks almost fracture free. Jim
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Post by deb193redux on Sept 5, 2013 13:08:11 GMT -5
if it truly scratches with steel nail (sometimes just an oxidation layer shows the scratch) it would not be jasper. most of what I know of IDs relates to agate and jasper and a few other rocks used in lapidary (e.g., sodalite, Picasso marble, serpentine ... etc). you might try looking for a reference on common types of beach stones. There are some books, but one online site is: www.beachstonesinspired.com/beach-rocks.html
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 5, 2013 13:38:36 GMT -5
I have never seen a nail that was harder than a pocket knife. Pocket knives generally have some sort of hardening to them. Nails, at least in the US, are just soft mild steel or even just iron.
Maybe the nail left as mark as a pencil would, by abrasion.
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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 Sept 5, 2013 21:26:46 GMT -5
I'm thinking it might be an orbicular/poppy type jasper. Zenz lists both nice moss agates and orbicular type jasper from Burn Anne, Scotland and almost any type can wash down stream and get into beach gravels. You are fortunate to live in an area rich in really nice quartz gems types.....Mel
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opisthorchis
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2013
Posts: 19
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Post by opisthorchis on Sept 6, 2013 8:47:12 GMT -5
I'm thinking it might be an orbicular/poppy type jasper. Zenz lists both nice moss agates and orbicular type jasper from Burn Anne, Scotland and almost any type can wash down stream and get into beach gravels. You are fortunate to live in an area rich in really nice quartz gems types.....Mel It does match the colours of Burn Anne, but this was found about 50 miles south of there in Lendalfoot. Well when I say Lendalfoot, it's more precise to say in a beach, off a layby, just past Lendalfoot - one of the more dog-friendly "beaches". I guess my next question is how restricted in location are these stones? What distances are classified as close when it comes to geology??? A lot of the images used to show Maidens/Turnberry/Dunure agate (which is closer to Lendalfoot, only 13 miles north) are paler in colour and not as "loud" - for want of a better term. I've been trying to get a better look at the stones and have been using my diamond files, so I can see some of the patterns more clearly - will post an image later.
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Post by Pat on Sept 6, 2013 9:19:17 GMT -5
Re photos, you are not doing anything wrong. Put your photos in Photobucker, Flickr or such, then copy and paste their BBC code into your message.
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opisthorchis
off to a rocking start
Member since August 2013
Posts: 19
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Post by opisthorchis on Sept 6, 2013 9:36:08 GMT -5
Re photos, you are not doing anything wrong. Put your photos in Photobucker, Flickr or such, then copy and paste their BBC code into your message. Thanks Pat Here's (hopefully) a better shot of two sections of the stones after some treatment with the diamond file Orbicular Jasper?? by hd-qld, on Flickr
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2013 10:20:36 GMT -5
I see no reason a stone could not go from a river to a beach 50miles away. Stones got nothing but time. They never die and live on for millenia. Storms can easily move them a couple inches a year. Soon enough, in 1 millions years or so, maybe two, they are on this beach instead of Burn Anne.
No doubt you have a nice jasper there. No matter where the origin.
I think you can safely say that this is a "Burn Anne type jasper found on a beach, off a layby, just past Lendalfoot". (where the dogs play)!
Congrats on the nice find.
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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 Sept 6, 2013 13:40:47 GMT -5
Yep, as Scott has said, during pluvial periods many streams that are now fairly small could have been quite huge and could have transported gravel many miles and then, once in the ocean, longshore drift can again transport gravel many miles along the shoreline.....Mel
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