Clear Creek CA Trip 2/2021 Plus Some Moonstone Beach
Mar 7, 2021 18:18:09 GMT -5
hummingbirdstones likes this
Post by inslewinsle on Mar 7, 2021 18:18:09 GMT -5
Went up to Clear Creek Management Area in late Feb. to search for plasma agate. I think we found a whole bunch! We stayed to the creek mostly and didn't go very far into the permitted area, as my low-clearance Corolla was no match for the first crossing of water-- the creek was not too deep, but there was a nice pushup of compacted mud that would have rendered my vehicle stuck. No matter, we walked up and downstream, eventually up to a large waterfall with a couple small (read: one "average" person sized) caves.
We didn't bring any tools, just tooled around in the creek beds, looking for that particular flash of blue. Also found some nice little crystals on the sides of a suspected plasma agate which were much more visible when dry rather than wet. Having never looked at plasma agate in real life before, we found the occasional pile of split-apart spoils left behind from other rockhounds very helpful in identifying the stone.
Found some pieces that were huge-- way too big to cart home. I think perhaps the trick of Clear Creek is that it is a land of plenty-- most of the plasma agate specimens we found were bigger than would fit in a hobbyist's tumbler, let alone to dislodge and cart up the hillside and down the road to the car. I don't have a saw or cabbing machine (yet), but dang, those mid-size specimens we did bring home sure have me hankering to see what's inside them.
After camping in Clear Creek for a couple nights, we went over to Moonstone Beach in Cambria, where we did find a few small handfuls of "moonstone," which I understand is chalcedony "agate". The pebbles on the beach are so incredibly pleasing to look at, it wouldn't have mattered if we didn't find any agates at all. We went in the early evening just as the tide was just starting to back down, and about an hour later there were only a few people on the beach looking for stones.
We found some very interesting pebbles that I'd love an ID for-- I call them "Klimtles," because their patterns remind me of Gustav Klimt's work.
Will attempt to post some photos here, plus a link to the flickr album where they're hosted: www.flickr.com/photos/aconybell13/albums/72157718561766218
DISCLAIMER: I'm a total newbie at this. Anything I've identified as a specific type of rock/mineral could very well NOT be that named rock/mineral. Let me know! I'm just learning and it helps me a lot to find out what I have in my hands, that I can actually hold and look over closely.
We didn't bring any tools, just tooled around in the creek beds, looking for that particular flash of blue. Also found some nice little crystals on the sides of a suspected plasma agate which were much more visible when dry rather than wet. Having never looked at plasma agate in real life before, we found the occasional pile of split-apart spoils left behind from other rockhounds very helpful in identifying the stone.
Found some pieces that were huge-- way too big to cart home. I think perhaps the trick of Clear Creek is that it is a land of plenty-- most of the plasma agate specimens we found were bigger than would fit in a hobbyist's tumbler, let alone to dislodge and cart up the hillside and down the road to the car. I don't have a saw or cabbing machine (yet), but dang, those mid-size specimens we did bring home sure have me hankering to see what's inside them.
After camping in Clear Creek for a couple nights, we went over to Moonstone Beach in Cambria, where we did find a few small handfuls of "moonstone," which I understand is chalcedony "agate". The pebbles on the beach are so incredibly pleasing to look at, it wouldn't have mattered if we didn't find any agates at all. We went in the early evening just as the tide was just starting to back down, and about an hour later there were only a few people on the beach looking for stones.
We found some very interesting pebbles that I'd love an ID for-- I call them "Klimtles," because their patterns remind me of Gustav Klimt's work.
Will attempt to post some photos here, plus a link to the flickr album where they're hosted: www.flickr.com/photos/aconybell13/albums/72157718561766218
DISCLAIMER: I'm a total newbie at this. Anything I've identified as a specific type of rock/mineral could very well NOT be that named rock/mineral. Let me know! I'm just learning and it helps me a lot to find out what I have in my hands, that I can actually hold and look over closely.