goldfinder
Cave Dweller
Member since December 2020
Posts: 272
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Post by goldfinder on Jun 8, 2022 0:58:06 GMT -5
Howdy all! I was cutting some Agua Nueva agates this evening and came across this interesting feller. I saw some interesting pattern on the bottom so I sliced it. I've been looking online a ton but can't really find much info on how to differentiate a tube agate from a pseudomorph. I'm leaning towards pseudomorph but maybe that's just wishful thinking haha. In the second from the last picture the smaller formation does seem to have multiple branches/points that I've seen common for pseudomorphs from this area. Any suggestions or info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
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Post by rmf on Jun 8, 2022 9:36:37 GMT -5
Some might call it a tube. It is certainly a growth channel and shows the different environment. The finer crystals of the agate happened first then the larger quartz crystals grew later.
A pseudomorph (False form) is when the original mineral is now gone but leaves a mineral shaped hole which fills up with a new mineral. Like pyrite forming in cubes then weathering away and the cubic shape hole left by pyrite is now filled with limonite or malachite so you get a cube made of a mineral that never crystalizes in a cube
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quartzilla
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2020
Posts: 1,237
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Post by quartzilla on Jun 10, 2022 21:14:58 GMT -5
Those might be Johnson agates😛
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aGates
has rocks in the head
Building a silver studio
Member since January 2021
Posts: 517
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Post by aGates on Jun 11, 2022 9:17:16 GMT -5
Some might call it a tube. It is certainly a growth channel and shows the different environment. The finer crystals of the agate happened first then the larger quartz crystals grew later. A pseudomorph (False form) is when the original mineral is now gone but leaves a mineral shaped hole which fills up with a new mineral. Like pyrite forming in cubes then weathering away and the cubic shape hole left by pyrite is now filled with limonite or malachite so you get a cube made of a mineral that never crystalizes in a cube Just curious what would have put the breaks in the initial agate flow to form this johnson-esk shape for those crystals to grow on? I'm puzzled but I'm willing to think about it. What a cool specimen. Thanks for sharing. Johnny aGates.
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,326
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Post by realrockhound on Jun 11, 2022 13:01:23 GMT -5
I don’t know specifically what you would call that, but me personally, I’d rule out tube or pseudomorph. Just one of those oddball formations.
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Post by rmf on Jun 13, 2022 6:39:31 GMT -5
@2gates That is a good question and I am not sure anyone knows the answer. It could be temperature (fine crystals are faster crystalization and larger crystals indicate slower more prolonged growth). Pressure? It could be the minerals in the agate part took all the elements to give the color and all that was left was the quartz. This ball probably formed inside a larger agate vug (geode) which was broken or is now gone. All speculation. Opinions are like arm pits, most have more than one and yet they usually stink.
On that note I saw an advertisement for 72 hour deodorant. Does this imply taking a shower at 3 day intervals?
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