NRG
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since February 2018
Posts: 1,688
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Post by NRG on Oct 23, 2018 14:44:57 GMT -5
That's cool.
The inclusion, had to be agatized first. Then the cast filled in around that.
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Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 23, 2018 16:34:02 GMT -5
That is so awesome!
I wondered how rare, how often that happens? Then I recalled seeing something similar to that in my stash of opalized wood. You tell me... 
These came from a "free rock sale," we just picked up a truckload several years ago of miscellaneous stuff, and helped the lady clean out her yard when she decided she had had enough of rocks. She is local to me (San Diego), and I believe she and her dad collected them from Gabbs, Nevada.
There may be more, I just don't have time to hunt through it right now.
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Post by rockjunquie on Oct 23, 2018 17:22:32 GMT -5
I'll be damned- you have one too! I think they are both great finds and cool curiosities, too.
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mossyrockhound
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2011
Posts: 1,315
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Post by mossyrockhound on Oct 23, 2018 18:31:55 GMT -5
rockpickerforever Very cool! Looks like they may have come out of the same hole! Yours was a lot cheaper than mine was though.
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Post by 1dave on Oct 25, 2018 13:28:05 GMT -5
This post prompted me to go looking at some of my fav agate sources. Do you know agateswithinclusions.com/about-pat/ A quick survey did not show anything like your specimen. Its worth a visit to see a myriad of forms and don't miss his photo of his shop - now that's a collection of slab saws. Cheers. The opening photo slows the site down. I did a screenshot to get it. looks like Pat is on the verge of getting serious on cutting rocks!  |
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Deleted
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Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2018 14:42:55 GMT -5
Yeah, he might be starting to develop an interest  The Crooked River limb casts vary in the wood inclusions. The deposition of silica, as in other agates in this region varies. In some it was quite rapid (you can see that the silica gel shifted before it dehydrated/solidified. In others it was a multi-phase event over a longer period. In some limbs from this area, the wood is completely agatized, in others it is permineralized without much agate. I haven't dug through enough examples to say conclusively, but my impression is that the wood more toward the bottom of the cast is more completely agatized. Not all casts completely filled, and in some the permineralized wood can be splintered off with your fingernail. The most popular (and expensive - apart from rarer things like nut fruits) South Fork limb casts are the pieces with dendrites. These also sometimes have iris phenomena. The pieces with wood inclusions do sell for high prices, but the few I've sold went to European buyers. Though most of the preserved wood is brown or black wood color, in some it has turned green, which I personally really like... Sorry again for blurry pics - another very overcast day here. |
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mossyrockhound
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2011
Posts: 1,315
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Post by mossyrockhound on Oct 25, 2018 16:08:15 GMT -5
Yeah, he might be starting to develop an interest The Crooked River limb casts vary in the wood inclusions. The deposition of silica, as in other agates in this region varies. In some it was quite rapid (you can see that the silica gel shifted before it dehydrated/solidified. In others it was a multi-phase event over a longer period. In some limbs from this area, the wood is completely agatized, in others it is permineralized without much agate. I haven't dug through enough examples to say conclusively, but my impression is that the wood more toward the bottom of the cast is more completely agatized. Not all casts completely filled, and in some the permineralized wood can be splintered off with your fingernail. The most popular (and expensive - apart from rarer things like nut fruits) South Fork limb casts are the pieces with dendrites. These also sometimes have iris phenomena. The pieces with wood inclusions do sell for high prices, but the few I've sold went to European buyers. Though most of the preserved wood is brown or black wood color, in some it has turned green, which I personally really like... Sorry again for blurry pics - another very overcast day here.[/qu) Thanks for the comment. That Crooked River stuff is getting harder and harder to come by. Last time I was down there, I was digging at the old CC claim and hit a beer can at about 5-foot deep. I decided I didn't want it bad enough to dig in old filled-in holes. My buddy thought that maybe those cave men did drink beer. Who knows? Before Judy Elkins closed her rock shop in Prineville, I would buy any decent sized limb casts she had - I know how hard you have to work for them. |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 25, 2018 16:22:23 GMT -5
@rocks2dust , now that you've posted that moss limb cast, it has me wondering about a small agate "log", for want of a better term, that I found west of Brenda, AZ, clear back in 2012.
Cylindrical, about the size of a small fist. I cut it into slabs. Never thought to take a pic before cutting - Doh!
I found this as float, in a wash. Just sitting on the surface! In AZ.
R2d, do you think this could be a limb cast as well?
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Deleted
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Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Oct 25, 2018 17:49:41 GMT -5
Last time I was down there, I was digging at the old CC claim and hit a beer can at about 5-foot deep. I decided I didn't want it bad enough to dig in old filled-in holes. My buddy thought that maybe those cave men did drink beer. Who knows? Before Judy Elkins closed her rock shop in Prineville, I would buy any decent sized limb casts she had - I know how hard you have to work for them.  Your buddy may have interrupted a future Beer Can Cast. Several areas the BLM filled up the holes, so you have to get away from the beaten tracks, for sure. I miss the Elkins shop. I live 45 minutes or so away, and it was a nice place to go and sort through slabs on a rainy day - and I'm not the only person who showed up those days. Made for hard work for Judy, though, so I'm glad she gets to enjoy retirement. R2d, do you think this could be a limb cast as well? Whoa - that's really beautiful inside! Given the area, I wouldn't put limb or root cast beyond the realm of possibility. Usually you have to go by some signs of wood grain or bark remnants cast on the exterior or interior. On the other hand, it could be a cast of something else (Calamite/giant horsetail, tree fern). You might want to go over that end piece to see if you detect any structure. |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Oct 25, 2018 18:02:27 GMT -5
R2d, do you think this could be a limb cast as well? Whoa - that's really beautiful inside! Given the area, I wouldn't put limb or root cast beyond the realm of possibility. Usually you have to go by some signs of wood grain or bark remnants cast on the exterior or interior. On the other hand, it could be a cast of something else (Calamite/giant horsetail, tree fern). You might want to go over that end piece to see if you detect any structure. Thank you. I still have all the slabs but one (cabbed, wire wrapped, sold it), and also have both ends. Will have to locate them and take another look. It certainly doesn't have any wood looking pieces in it. Just the strings of moss and drusy in the open areas. |
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Your buddy may have interrupted a future Beer Can Cast. Several areas the BLM filled up the holes, so you have to get away from the beaten tracks, for sure. I miss the Elkins shop. I live 45 minutes or so away, and it was a nice place to go and sort through slabs on a rainy day - and I'm not the only person who showed up those days. Made for hard work for Judy, though, so I'm glad she gets to enjoy retirement.
