nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 928
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Post by nursetumbler on Mar 28, 2022 17:49:48 GMT -5
Hi All I found this and a few more on a Mountain Road in New Mexico, some bigger some smaller. I am sure it is Chalcedony but I suppose unless its open due to it's size it couldn't be determined if its agate? If anyone can help it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you P.S. if its just trash I have a marine cooler full of paper weights I would sell for cheap
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fuss
spending too much on rocks
Member since October 2018
Posts: 250
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Post by fuss on Mar 28, 2022 21:04:31 GMT -5
I think your right about it being a Chalcedony/Chert.
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,173
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Post by RWA3006 on Mar 28, 2022 22:36:38 GMT -5
Looks cherty to me. I find a lot with the white rind just like that in southwestern Wyoming.
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 928
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Post by nursetumbler on Mar 28, 2022 22:42:31 GMT -5
Looks cherty to me. I find a lot with the white rind just like that in southwestern Wyoming. fuss snd RWA3006So is this a pile of junk?
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Post by Peruano on Mar 29, 2022 6:53:26 GMT -5
No, not junk; just not high dollar on the retail market. Do I see some black along one edge. Sawed up to find some contrast areas, it would produce beautiful cabs. Tumbled might be a little less likely to satisfy. What mountain road?
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Post by vegasjames on Mar 29, 2022 7:01:16 GMT -5
Chalcedony is a form of quartz. Jasper is a form of chalcedony. Chert/flint is a form of jasper.
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 928
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Post by nursetumbler on Mar 29, 2022 7:44:40 GMT -5
No, not junk; just not high dollar on the retail market. Do I see some black along one edge. Sawed up to find some contrast areas, it would produce beautiful cabs. Tumbled might be a little less likely to satisfy. What mountain road? Peruano126
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,173
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Post by RWA3006 on Mar 29, 2022 9:55:28 GMT -5
Looks cherty to me. I find a lot with the white rind just like that in southwestern Wyoming. fuss snd RWA3006So is this a pile of junk? I hope not because I've picked up a ton of it, but not for high grade lapidary reasons. I like to heat treat it and use for flint knapping. It will often polish quite well but usually does not have the popping colors we usually seek. There is a massive deposit of it in southwestern Wyoming going for dozens of miles in all directions, as a result many ancient artifacts are found of this material.
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 928
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Post by nursetumbler on Mar 29, 2022 10:22:58 GMT -5
I hope not because I've picked up a ton of it, but not for high grade lapidary reasons. I like to heat treat it and use for flint knapping. It will often polish quite well but usually does not have the popping colors we usually seek. There is a massive deposit of it in southwestern Wyoming going for dozens of miles in all directions, as a result many ancient artifacts are found of this material. Yeah we picked up a marine cooler full as well as what we were told was agate from a wash in Rio Rancho New Mexico. The wash ID came from a geologist from a local rock store. Those are fist sized balls. I tried to chisel one open and that didn't work. I tried to smash it with a 3# sledge hammer, that didn't work. Guess I have to try to tile saw it
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,173
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Post by RWA3006 on Mar 29, 2022 12:42:19 GMT -5
I hope not because I've picked up a ton of it, but not for high grade lapidary reasons. I like to heat treat it and use for flint knapping. It will often polish quite well but usually does not have the popping colors we usually seek. There is a massive deposit of it in southwestern Wyoming going for dozens of miles in all directions, as a result many ancient artifacts are found of this material. Yeah we picked up a marine cooler full as well as what we were told was agate from a wash in Rio Rancho New Mexico. The wash ID came from a geologist from a local rock store. Those are fist sized balls. I tried to chisel one open and that didn't work. I tried to smash it with a 3# sledge hammer, that didn't work. Guess I have to try to tile saw it You might just saw a little nip off a side to create a window to see what's in there.
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Post by Peruano on Mar 29, 2022 13:00:32 GMT -5
The Rio Grande Valley has 1000's feet of alluvial gravels and geologically its a mixmash. Equally nebulous is the terminology for the chalcedony chert relatives that are found all the way from Pedernal Peak near Georgia O'keefe's old stomping grounds to the south as far as where the Rio Puerco enters the Rio Grande. Archeologists report, and papers have been written on how Pedernal Chert has been dispersed into this area. Supposedly it was so good as a tool source material that the native pueblo folks carried it nearly 100 miles to the pueblo sites around Bernalillo (not so far from Rio Rancho) so they could work on it around the winter fires instead of at a distant quarry site. That aside there are many quartz, chert, agate, jasper materials varying from grey, white, frosted, black, red, pink etc in the Rio Grande gravels. Things that are grey or drab are often called cherts, things that are red or reddish tend to be called jaspers, anything attractive tends to be termed an agate even with out the translucence and striping that we associate with agates. In the end, you have the material, its worth exploring especially the solid examples. Things that have those big voids, erroded, crumbley spots etc are probably dubious for our purposes, but often have solid unblemished areas as well. Look for contrasting colors and polish away. It can be tremendously rewarding as it works up well and you can rationalized that your creating something special by working with material that was big time favored for tool making by the early Anasazi (Prepueblo) natives. A link to the past.
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nursetumbler
Cave Dweller
Member since February 2022
Posts: 928
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Post by nursetumbler on Mar 29, 2022 19:08:08 GMT -5
The Rio Grande Valley has 1000's feet of alluvial gravels and geologically its a mixmash. Equally nebulous is the terminology for the chalcedony chert relatives that are found all the way from Pedernal Peak near Georgia O'keefe's old stomping grounds to the south as far as where the Rio Puerco enters the Rio Grande. Archeologists report, and papers have been written on how Pedernal Chert has been dispersed into this area. Supposedly it was so good as a tool source material that the native pueblo folks carried it nearly 100 miles to the pueblo sites around Bernalillo (not so far from Rio Rancho) so they could work on it around the winter fires instead of at a distant quarry site. That aside there are many quartz, chert, agate, jasper materials varying from grey, white, frosted, black, red, pink etc in the Rio Grande gravels. Things that are grey or drab are often called cherts, things that are red or reddish tend to be called jaspers, anything attractive tends to be termed an agate even with out the translucence and striping that we associate with agates. In the end, you have the material, its worth exploring especially the solid examples. Things that have those big voids, erroded, crumbley spots etc are probably dubious for our purposes, but often have solid unblemished areas as well. Look for contrasting colors and polish away. It can be tremendously rewarding as it works up well and you can rationalized that your creating something special by working with material that was big time favored for tool making by the early Anasazi (Prepueblo) natives. A link to the past. Thank you for all the information. I love learning about the areas I work. I spent the last 6 months in Cuba and previous 3 months in Raton. If you are familiar with 528 we were at Riverside II at a public parking area. The material is incased in limestone. I was told to put it in vinegar and let it dissolve the limestone. I did but after a full gallon I still wasn't through the limestone to the inside material yet. A few places that originally showed the drk grey translucent waxy material were still visible but not the whole thing. I hate to think I pulled a whole marine cooler home of nothing. If so it'd be great practice material to tumble or slab if and/or when I get a saw. Again thank you for the awesome information
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Post by Peruano on Mar 30, 2022 6:45:34 GMT -5
A lot of our local Rio Grande material has a rind/crust exterior. If you think its an agate, it is until you prove yourself wrong. Probe further. In a deeply dissected arroyo or even a steep hillside, you have potential access to a long history of riverine deposition. I might also add that a lot of the material that you did not find as interesting is quartzite; I'm betting you were selective enough to have something interesting.
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