jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 26, 2013 0:12:33 GMT -5
One of these halves is for Fossilman. Don't tell him though. Sitting in an 18 inch saw This is a chunk from a huge coral. It has a broad variety of textures and dozens of botyroidal cavities. Botyroidal cavities are common fare. But deceptive to ID their location due to camouflage . To cut many corals in need a 30-36 inch saw. If i had such saw this one was 200 pounds and would have made a good down payment on the saw.
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Post by kk on Oct 26, 2013 0:26:17 GMT -5
there isn't much one can say on a fantastic piece like that, except WOW....
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 26, 2013 7:53:35 GMT -5
Hope you are getting along well Kurt. I see people collecting those hollow formations on the river occasionally. They may have found 2 or 3 little ones.
They don't seem be able to read them well. They should have at least a dozen. If the western rockhounds came they would clean out the place. It is so
rare in the south to have such formations. It is a treasure just sitting there...
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Oct 26, 2013 10:45:05 GMT -5
That dude fossilman sure will like that,I won't tell him....This is his brother caveman,he lets me use his computer sometimes...(My lips are sealed)....By the way ?"HOLY MOLY"!!!!
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 26, 2013 11:16:26 GMT -5
Let it be a conspiracy
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Oct 26, 2013 12:42:31 GMT -5
Speaking of western rockhounders cleaning house,the gravels on the river banks here are picked clean of agate and petwood,till the river rises and falls again! LOL ( probably next spring )....
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 26, 2013 13:29:23 GMT -5
Western people are smart. They go outside and enjoy. Genius. I do not know why we are not so in to rock hunting.
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quartz
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breakin' rocks in the hot sun
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Post by quartz on Oct 26, 2013 15:59:33 GMT -5
You sure find some nice pieces, thanks for the show. Is there a way to chip the hollows open better w/o distructing the piece? Larry
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Thunder69
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Thunder 2000-2015
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Post by Thunder69 on Oct 26, 2013 19:56:53 GMT -5
James ,I believe it is the (WET)heat we have down /out here...Lol..Luckily for me I can take it..More for me to find......John
BTW...Sweet finds.....
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Post by Pat on Oct 26, 2013 23:44:10 GMT -5
Pseudo or not, they are pretty in shape and in color combinations.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2013 1:10:42 GMT -5
Thanks you guys for the comments This is the other side of the one in the saw: Would these be calcite crystals?
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2013 1:29:55 GMT -5
You sure find some nice pieces, thanks for the show. Is there a way to chip the hollows open better w/o distructing the piece? Larry Using a saw. But 1 out of 20 will cut right or have a cavity. That big piece was being reduced for the solid parts. I need a giant saw for many of them.They are difficult to read Larry.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2013 1:31:53 GMT -5
I have seen the humidity at just 90F tame some desert fellows John.
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Oct 27, 2013 9:38:07 GMT -5
They look like calcite crystals James.....That's cool...
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2013 10:10:47 GMT -5
They look like calcite crystals James.....That's cool... Well Scott was asking about silica formation and i am curious about the botyroidal cavities/coatings and silicification too. They are so common. Very hard to tell if they are hollow. You would think that you could pick it up and tell that it was hollow. But they are so packed with heavy virgin blue/white clay that you can not recognize higher specific gravity under any circumstances. Maybe if you had a good scale and did the volume test but the enviro is exhausting and not friendly to science lab. Either the saw or the hammer. And the hammer usually destroys them.. That single head in pics 3,4,5,6 were sledged off of a monster chunk. I proceeded to break it down further to fit in my saw. I posted some slabs earlier. This head was the one composed of 80-100 smaller coral units. They were "silicifieglued" together very tightly. Many either had botyroidal or calcite? linings.This shoal was further down than i wanted to risk going so i could not add much to the existing load to get the boat up the 3 shoals i crossed coming down.
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Post by Pat on Oct 27, 2013 10:23:25 GMT -5
" But 1 out of 20 will cut right or have a cavity. That big piece was being reduced for the solid parts. I need a giant saw for many of them." jamesp, the cavities are lovely. Keep the cavities. Those could be used in jewelry pieces.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2013 10:34:02 GMT -5
That dude fossilman sure will like that,I won't tell him....This is his brother caveman,he lets me use his computer sometimes...(My lips are sealed)....By the way ?"HOLY MOLY"!!!! That dude Fossilman sure is ugly. I am glad to talk about him. Being his brother you probably felt sorry for him.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2013 10:46:49 GMT -5
" But 1 out of 20 will cut right or have a cavity. That big piece was being reduced for the solid parts. I need a giant saw for many of them." jamesp, the cavities are lovely. Keep the cavities. Those could be used in jewelry pieces. Most of these are collected from the gravel Pat. They are pretty common. I tumbled them and the results were not great because it removed natural patina. I will need to get a cab machine and grind the rough edges. You can sit at the gravel bar and break up big chunks to jewelry sizes all day. The gravel is littered w/ smalls and chunks.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Oct 27, 2013 11:08:52 GMT -5
This is a slab of two smaller corals attached in the giant coral head. Some of this posted before. Same shoal material with the partial silicifications but exposed to iron salts(love that word'salts') and this which i knew would heat to insanity colors after heating to insanity color
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Post by pghram on Oct 28, 2013 15:39:42 GMT -5
Never tire of seeing these, thanks.
Rich
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