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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 14, 2020 15:18:04 GMT -5
It's so hot here, nothing better to do than sit at the computer in front of the A/C.
I was recently looking through a bucket of self collected stromatolites, poured them out and took some pics. The majority of these are from Ocotillo Wells, some are from closer to AZ, a few miles west of the AZ border, and north of Interstate 8. They were collected over the last 20 years or so.
All of this bucket. I have more buckets of them, lol.
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Just took close-up photos of a few. 3
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4b
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6 Not 100% sure where this one was found, but I think it was from an area south of the Cargo Muchacho Mtns in CA. The desert varnish on it makes me think it may have come from farther north and east of that, up by where we prospect at Potholes (South of Senator Wash.).
ETA - Definitely from Potholes, on a trip we made in April 2015.
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8a This may be shell, not stromatolite? Interesting, nonetheless.
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12b
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21b
That's it for now, hope you liked them. Will have to upload more.
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Post by pauls on Aug 14, 2020 17:04:00 GMT -5
They are amazing. They look hard too, are they Agatised?
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 14, 2020 18:58:35 GMT -5
They are amazing. They look hard too, are they Agatised? Thanks, Paul. I believe they are agatized. ETA - May be silicified? Some look as though they are opalized, if that is possible. They are definitely not sandstone, or anything else soft.
I have tumbled some a year or better ago, through the polish stage. However, they do tend to have some deeper nooks that avoid the polish. I was going to rework them, grind the divots some and retumble. Still haven't done so yet. (I say on my profile page that I am "just plain lazy." I can't lie, lol.)
But of the ones I have tumbled, all the high spots took an exceptional polish. I use a Lortone QT66/12 rotary, finish in a vibe using cerium oxide.
Have been wanting to do some more tumbling, but don't want to add to the electric bill right now. A/C = $. Yikes!
When it's cool enough to go out, I'll get pics of the "mostly tumbled" ones.
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,174
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Post by RWA3006 on Aug 14, 2020 22:57:45 GMT -5
Very interesting. Have you cut any in half to see what the cross section looks like? I'm curious about patterns, layers, etc. I really like the ones with desert varnish. If you took a slice out of one and then cabbed it in a freeform I wonder how it would look???
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Post by rockpickerforever on Aug 15, 2020 0:33:43 GMT -5
Randy, I have slabbed a few some time ago and made cabs, and I've tumbled some. They are interesting inside, from what I remember. I'll have to see if I can locate one of the cabs, or maybe a thinner tumbled one. Most of the ones I have tumbled are larger. The outside cleans up and polishes nicely, but you don't get to see the inside.
Will have to cut some open before tumbling more. But not until late October/November. September and October are the hottest months of the year here.
Haven't sawn any rocks in a long while. Need to get motivated!
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Post by fernwood on Aug 15, 2020 6:15:40 GMT -5
Nice bunch. Please post a slab if you find one.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Aug 15, 2020 10:35:38 GMT -5
Scored some beauties there!! Two thumbs up..
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kyoti
has rocks in the head
Member since June 2020
Posts: 542
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Post by kyoti on Aug 16, 2020 20:03:23 GMT -5
Thpse are really cool. 12 and 14 are probably my favorites. Neat to think about that they lived over a billion years ago.
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