Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on May 1, 2022 12:22:50 GMT -5
Been to Plush years ago before all the big mines started. Boy that spot is flat in the middle of nowhere.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on May 1, 2022 12:18:23 GMT -5
Vicor, The database is still posted here under science articles etc. subset identification.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on May 1, 2022 9:42:37 GMT -5
Afraid I agree with some of the others. Lowell and I faced this problem when creating the Index. Confirmation is in many cases, difficult, and common names and trade names are so confusing. Often, and I have been guilty of this, a new discovery is simply named by the finder, miner, or the first person to post or sell it. This is further complicated by the variation we find in many materials and the fact that similar conditions can produce almost identical materials from different locations. For example, Kinradite Poppy Jasper from the SF bay area can be mirrored on the Olympic Peninsula and in Hunters Valley, CA., all widely separated locations. Personally, I think all lapidary material should be labeled only by description of type and Location ie. Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper or Stone Canyon brecciated Jasper, Hornitos brecciated jasper. Botswana agate, Utah Red Horn Coral etc. Problem is, in the Hornitos area for example, there are probably a couple dozen at least, different poppy jasper types, some resembling poppy from other locations. To label them Hornitos Jasper, or Hornitos Poppy Jasper is OK but so confusing to someone trying to confirm the identity of an individual slab. Shoot, one Hunters Valley pit has material almost identical to Ocean Jasper. Moss agate of a single type can be found in dozens of locations and almost impossible to tell apart. Again, similar geology can produce similar materials. I'd guess, many materials could be confirmed by the finder or miner but stuff you buy, trade or even get form a friend is kind of a crap shoot sometimes. Overall though, it is a very difficult problem to tackle.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 30, 2022 15:23:03 GMT -5
Got to say my rarest find ever was when I discovered the new ranch we had bought was at ground zero for the Hornitos/ Hunters Valley Poppy Jasper zone. Actually had outcrops on the forty acres we bought right across from our house and over a decade of searching my buddy and I found numerous outcrops down valley from our homes too. The real excitement was when my buddy's dog found the original red and pink poppy pit and several more adjacent to it. All told we must have found a dozen or more old prospects and veins. These cabs represent only a small number of the different types we found. Lost most my pics to Photobucket though some are likely still in the Agate Index posted on this site. It had been my goal to cab all the types until my Genie got old and cranky and my hands messed up enough to make cabbing no fun. Sold my entire collection of specimen slabs and rough to one of our old members, so all gone now, but man the memories of those discoveries, some found right in my driveway are fun memories to have. Hunters Valley Jasper by lonerider652000, on Flickr
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 28, 2022 18:14:59 GMT -5
Sure looks like jade or serpentine but a hard nail or tap from your hammer will tell for sure. Jade is harder than serpintine and usually a nail will not scratch it. Jade dings when struck, serpentine makes dull thumps.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 28, 2022 18:11:41 GMT -5
Awesome haul and well-earned too. Very well agatized high quality material too. Had no idea such colorful wood was to be found in that area.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 28, 2022 18:06:51 GMT -5
Wowser! Gotta love all those poppies but I loves the palm root the best.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 27, 2022 22:30:08 GMT -5
Y0u should report your sighting of the groundsnake with your picture and location info to Inaturalist.org. Very few sightings of that snake and your info with pic would probably be research grade.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 27, 2022 22:14:15 GMT -5
That white plume material is so cool Tommy. Years ago, my collecting buddies and I found a similar vein of that plume way back in the north Cadys where we used to hunt geodes. Only difference was, the vein we found had a bright pink exterior lining and had less definition to the plume structures because they were all scrunched together. Man, the Cadys are a treasure chest of good agate.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 26, 2022 19:50:39 GMT -5
IMHO I'd think of it in the same light as when you give someone a gift of money or any other gift. You don't expect to get it back and it's theirs to do with as they like. If you don't like what they do with it, don't give them another gift. That's your option.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 26, 2022 8:37:52 GMT -5
Nice! I'm a big fan of dendritic agate too. Years ago, I got similar stuff from a shop in Nampa Idaho called Snake River Dendritic. No bubbles or vugs and more reds and blues in that material but the overall appearance was very like your pieces.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 24, 2022 6:22:38 GMT -5
Only thing to say s freaking awesome. Hard to pic a favorite but numbers 1 + 3 are really neat.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 22, 2022 6:33:35 GMT -5
Beautiful. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was Biker Randy who was making plume doublets with a black backing. Those plumes would be striking were you to glue on a black back for contrast.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 20, 2022 20:37:39 GMT -5
The apache tears from Superior, AZ are very translucent in almost smoky quartz colors with some a bit lighter. I have collected sheen type apache tears at the "sump" site in Nevada and near the opalized wood beds near Gabbs in the same state. Most of those are opaque or only slightly translucent and the sheen examples are uncommon. Most are just deep opaque black. If there is a location where sheen tears are common, I would think it is in NE California near Plume Creek when sheen obsidian nodules are very common. Plum Creek itself is virtually bedded with obsidian nodules so, though I never looked for them, there may be tiny apache tear sized ones in the creek beds too. Silver and gold sheen obsidian are common so I would suggest you just cut down larger stock to your preferred size and tumble your own "tears". Obsidian is all very similar chemically anyway.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 19, 2022 20:15:03 GMT -5
I too like the fiberglass handled pick mattock from Home Depot. Tried a cheaper one and bent it all up prying out big veins if agate. Smaller stuff I've always used Estwing. I love one I have with a slightly longer handle but don't know of they still make those. I wore a couple of those down to a nubbin digging at the Baker eggs beds many years ago, that ash eats rock picks up! Now I always keep a couple regular Estwing rock picks on hand. Never forget my gem scoop either. Keeps me from putting my hands in bushes with rattlers and also saves a lot of bending over.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 19, 2022 12:43:03 GMT -5
Yep, started hounding with my pop back in the late 1950's. So safe back then, except for the crappy cars we had that broke down a lot. Beautiful rocks were everywhere. Shoot we had leaverites back then that would be prizes now. Actually, saw very few other rockhounds in the field but there were tons of rockshops. Pop never went armed and nicest thing of all, almost every rancher or farmer would let you trespass if you asked nice. Don't ever remember being turned away and often the ranchers would tell you where the good rocks were. California deserts were basically an almost untouched wonderland for collecting. I remember when collecting "Desert Roses" became popular. Went to a spot a guy told us about and the entire desert was almost paved with them. Used to have piles in our old yard, some huge. Different world now. Sometimes one of the sucky things about being old is remembering how things used to be *L*.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 17, 2022 12:39:20 GMT -5
Glad to see someone finally mentioned a firearm . In my long years of backcountry collecting, I've never shot a snake but I've had to draw on two robbers, had an uncomfortable run in with a biker gang, and run across a mobile meth lab in the north Cadys. Never had to fire a shot but man was I happy I was carrying a sidearm. Depending on the area and circumstances ie. fee digs, private property, being out with a large group etc I often do not carry cause lets face it, hauling around a pistol on long hikes can be uncomfortable. But dang, when you are all by yourself or in a very small group in some Godforsaken backwoods or desert camp, Better to have a firearm and not need it than to need it and not have it. Good for signaling too.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 17, 2022 8:50:23 GMT -5
Yep, we see similar trace fossils in the limestone down by our creek.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 17, 2022 8:48:15 GMT -5
Classic Maury Mtn and beautiful cabs. Again Jason, what a friggin great polish!
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 17, 2022 8:46:56 GMT -5
New age mumbo jumbo aside, your work is beautiful, and I love the magnification effect of he dino bone doublet.
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