ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 23:20:03 GMT -5
I would love to fine a fulgerite! Mine is black. I found this in reference to their color in Wiki: The color of fulgurites varies widely, depending on composition and chemical impurities. It can range from black or tan, to green, blue, metallic blue-grey, or a translucent white. More colorful variants are usually synthetic and reflect incorporation of synthetic materials. The following excerpt from Wiki describes my specimen to a tee: The interior of Type I (sand) fulgurites normally is very smooth or lined with fine bubbles, while other types are often both vesicular and dense or porous and scoria-like; their exteriors generally can be coated with rough sedimentary particles and can be porous, smooth, or structurally complex. As well as this: Fulgurites formed in sand or loose soil are mechanically fragile, making the field collection of large specimens difficult. Which explains my difficulty in retrieving a really nice piece instead of what I ended up with from it. That plus the winds and blowing beach sand that exposed it the day before (45 MPH steady with higher gusts) also most likely eroded much of it away before I ever saw it there. What is left of it is pretty well fused though and even has a pinkish or purple-ish hue under daylight fluorescent bulbs. The part where the one inch section that broke off is smooth like ceramic on both sides of the break where the broken parts came from (the smooth spots circled in red in the picture below.) To be honest, after I picked it up and broke it then realized what I did and what it was, I got mad and threw it back. I walked away a few feet then my brain said "Stop. Go back and at least get what you can of it. You might never see another one."
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 21:54:56 GMT -5
Very nice looking material!!!!!!!!!! Well, it ain't gonna win no beauty contests or anything I guess but it is different.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 21:42:08 GMT -5
Found on the beach south of Muskegon Michigan. This piece of lightning fused sand was sticking out where the wind had eroded other sand surrounding it away. It was larger but broke into several smaller and this one larger piece. There was other parts of it laying there in the sand but nothing I could reconstruct. This part was actually hollow until half of it fell off when first picked up (I hadn't yet realized what I had) and it lost about an inch chunk on one end that broke into several smaller pieces. This piece to me is one of the rarest things I have ever found and will likely be the most delicate specimen in my collection. I wouldn't doubt if there was more deeper down that I broke this piece off of.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 19:26:41 GMT -5
The worlds largest geode is indeed found on South Bass Island near Put In Bay. It is a Celestite crystal filled void in the limestone bedrock of the island while most of the geode is still intact, a doorway opening to allow tourists inside and a flat floor created by removal of the crystals allows viewing from the inside but has ruined the spirit of an intact geode. This is probably the only geode you will find in Ohio. There was an ancient (early Mississippian) waterway from Montana to Tennessee etc. where billions of creatures died along with all their scavengers.
You can read about them on Mindat. It seems to me there has to be some of them in Ohio. When it comes to Keokuk Geodes, I think the farthest one I ever heard of being found east of the tri-state area other than ones found in Indiana south of here might be one in my possession that I personally found one day at Deer Lick Creek in Van Buren county Michigan on the shores of Lake Michigan already broken in half. I think my geode pretty closely resembles this known one from the Keokuk area although mine is not as round and my picture nowhere near as nice.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 18:47:42 GMT -5
Thank you for this post Dave. On our trip to the area in July we apparently made a complete circle around this park - from Bryce down to Zion, over to hwy15 and back up and over to Bryce - and we didn't even know it existed. It's a shame we didn't know about it. I made the same trip with no knowledge of this either.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 18:29:24 GMT -5
ziggy ! Thanks for the lead. When i go to Ohio its Dublin/Marysville. Ill be checking it out! The crappie fishing in Delaware Reservoir is way better than the rockhounding anywhere in Ohio, and the walleye fishing in western Lake Erie is the best on the planet.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 18:02:26 GMT -5
ziggy ! Thanks for the lead. When i go to Ohio its Dublin/Marysville. Ill be checking it out! I have found that most of the stalactites and stalagmites are gone. There is only a minor formation left on I think, cave level 4. I remember bigger ones as a kid visiting there,but everything is bigger when you're 7 years old. When I visited the cave back in 1962 it had only been open to the public for 29 years. This stylized cross section of their cave is included on their website
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 17:41:22 GMT -5
We did old man's cave. Not a cave. At least the part they have you look at. It's a huge overhang maybe 20' deep 60' high and hundreds of feet long. No stalac-anythings Yes. Old mans cave is not really a cave and has no stalac-anythings. Hocking hills is pretty and full of deer and turkey but forget looking for anything real interesting as far as rocks go. I think that they have something resembling an arch there too. For stalactites and stalagmites, head north to Seneca Caverns near Bellevue. It is still open and may be worth the admission as far as caves with actual stalactites and stalagmites goes. Although considered a minimal geologic feature there, some do exist. It has an underground river too and when I went they had different colored lights along the way making it seem more interesting with all the color. Looks like that might not be the case now after looking at their website Seneca Caverns
Yup, they have a cheesy mine sluice set up there where you can pan salted gems and fossils too.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 9:50:48 GMT -5
The worlds largest geode is indeed found on South Bass Island near Put In Bay. It is a Celestite crystal filled void in the limestone bedrock of the island while most of the geode is still intact, a doorway opening to allow tourists inside and a flat floor created by removal of the crystals allows viewing from the inside but has ruined the spirit of an intact geode. This is probably the only geode you will find in Ohio. There was an ancient waterway from Montana to Tennessee etc. where billions of creatures died along with all their scavengers. I suspect a volcanic eruption that sent huge amounts of CO 2 in the water that killed them all. Over time their mud covered bodies filled with gas like balloons, then they petrified and became geodes. Many are found at Keokuk Iowa
It seems to me there has to be some of them in Ohio. Never heard of any found in Ohio at all. Web search turns up nothing yet. Once again go one or two states in any direction from Ohio and the hounding gets better. Illinois is two states west. Michigan to the north, Pennsylvania to the east and Kentucky to the south all make Ohio look like nowhere when it comes to rockhounding. Even Indiana it seems might be a little better than Ohio. If you've ever been to Ohio you know that the entire western 2/3 of the state is nothing but square mile after square mile of mostly flat tilled cornfields. The rest of the state with hills in the southeast part of the state was strip mined with the biggest bucket shovels on the planet for coal, with much of that land off limits and either reclaimed, or waiting to be reclaimed to a so called "natural state". I will admit that Ohio is the reason I became interested in rocks as a young child after our families visit one day to Seneca Caverns.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 9:28:29 GMT -5
More Ohio memories.
Most of the northwestern and central part of Ohio was covered by glaciers and the flat (endless cornfields) land and fertile soils are due to that. The unglaciated portions of the state to the east and south (making roughly an arc shape from southeast of Cleveland to southwest of Dayton with Columbus at the middle) are more interesting geologically but are still not known for much other than Flint Ridge flint. One really nice area is Hocking Hills near Logan. There are caves (small and created by water erosion) and hollows and lots of wildlife.
Speaking of caves, up near Norwalk is Seneca Caverns. They used to advertise it as "The Crack In The Earth". There are stalactites and stalagmites as well as an underground river all easily seen on a cave tour. There used to be open to the public a place near Castalia called The Blue Hole. It was a spring with a circular shape and a deep blue hue with the bottom supposedly never found. I think that place is closed to the public these days. Other caves in Ohio include Ohio Caverns in West Liberty, Ohio, Old Man's Cave, Hocking Hills State Park, Olentangy Indian Caverns, Delaware, Ohio, Ash Cave, Hocking Hills State Park, Saltpetre Cave in Laurel Township, OH, Zane Shawnee Caverns, Jefferson Township, OH, (I was friends with Holly Zane, whose family that cave was named after) Roch House in Logan, Ohio
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 8:59:49 GMT -5
The worlds largest geode is indeed found on South Bass Island near Put In Bay. It is a Celestite crystal filled void in the limestone bedrock of the island while most of the geode is still intact, a doorway opening to allow tourists inside and a flat floor created by removal of the crystals allows viewing from the inside but has ruined the spirit of an intact geode. This is probably the only geode you will find in Ohio.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 9, 2016 8:36:50 GMT -5
Yup, it's a great place to find flint. (As long as you're near Flint Ridge when looking for it.) What about the fossils? Trilobites from here (Western Utah) are great to make jewelry out of. Jut hit them with a wire brush and they are ready. Yeah, I used to live in Sylvania Ohio for years and years. Fossils can be found in Sylvania Ohio and Hueston woods. Collecting in Sylvania is sponsored by the Sylvania Park district and the (I believe) Medusa Quarry just east of the quarry in a small park where the collecting piles are covered by collectors finding mostly nothing because they don't refresh the piles often enough for the crowds that flock here on field trips from the local schools. I wasted half a day there waiting to search a pile that consisted mostly of limestone waste rock and little else. Down by Dayton is a park called Hueston Woods where nice fossil specimens can be found (way better than in Sylvania) and the park allows collecting. I haven't been there since probably the 1980's and have no idea what is still available to find there. Of the two, for actually finding something worth keeping, Hueston woods is my pick. Up by Norwalk under a bridge going over a river is one site where if you are lucky, Iron Pyrite crystals can occasionally be found between slabs of slate. To me personally, Ohio is one of the worst rockhounding states when it comes to minerals. Go one or two states in any direction from Ohio and your hounding will be far more rewarding. I find WAY MORE fossils up here in Michigan where I now live, just by walking the beaches near Leland. Sure, Ohio has some stuff, but it's geologic history does not have much in the way of volcanoes or other mineral forming habits. Most of the clubs in Ohio save up for field trips to more promising spots in other states or to quarries where collecting under supervision is permitted.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 8, 2016 13:23:50 GMT -5
Yup, it's a great place to find flint. (As long as you're near Flint Ridge when looking for it.)
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 7, 2016 17:06:56 GMT -5
Only other thing I can think of would be a feldspar. This dude might be on to something. Especially since you were finding granite. I think I qualified my statement when I included this "I honestly from his picture can't really tell what angles are involved exactly." I still cant see the rhomb you mention from that picture but I was never really good at spatial stuff anyway. He has however, graciously endorsed your not 90 degrees but some other angle statements so I will bow out at this point.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 6, 2016 13:48:01 GMT -5
No, it is not salty. That was one of the first things I checked. I will hit it with a black light this evening and see if it fluoresces. Calcite most likely, agreed. Shotgunner. I was looking at the matrix rock attached and it resembles the stuff that salt at the edge of the deposit comes out with. I see what looks like (to my eyes anyway) cubes in there too but, moot point. He says its not salty. Anyway, I'm not seeing much in the way of this shape either, which is a trigonal rhombohedron. I mean, when you really look at it I'm seeing lots of 90 degree angles and not much else. I honestly from his picture can't really tell what angles are involved exactly. One more point to make though. Not all calcite will fluoresce under a black light.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 6, 2016 7:15:58 GMT -5
Also looks a little like halite. Did you see if it tastes salty?
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 5, 2016 19:46:57 GMT -5
While on vacation at Lake Abanakee this summer, I happened on this really neat rock with rectangular quartz crystals embedded in it. It measures approximately 4x3x2 inches. I think that the crystals more resemble calcite. Hit it with a black light. If it's calcite it will glow.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 4, 2016 18:22:30 GMT -5
and it probably depends on the rock type, and, depends on the type of "Rock" being played. My hubby always uses a thick pick but he's not sure what to think about about a thick pick made from rock. Guess he'll have to try one some day.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 4, 2016 18:04:57 GMT -5
I have a black light (70's poster type, not UVB or UVA), but that should still work. Thanks, ziggy for liking this post, and reminding me I still have to light it up and get a pic. Will do that after it gets dark tonight! I am a big time septarian fan living where I do here in Michigan just north of septarian central down in Allegan county. I plan on breaking out a black light too for my septarian specimens as soon as I find all the old 70's stuff I have stashed in boxes somewhere. Mine look nowhere near as spectacular as that sphere you have though. Some of spheremaker's stuff is almost that nice using Michigan stones.
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ziggy
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2016
Posts: 483
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Post by ziggy on Oct 3, 2016 21:37:01 GMT -5
Should frame it and call it a Warhol. Those are really sweet guitar picks. I was thinking maybe I should buy a pick or two for my hubby who built his own ES 335 style guitar. Do you sell those? He started out with a kit guitar but he only used the wood from the kit and the frets on the neck from the kit. He built all the hardware out of aluminum including the pickup surrounds, stop tailpiece, nut, and the locking bridge which uses hand made brass tuning saddles with quad stainless adjustment screws. The volume and tone knobs are all aluminum and shaped like dice as are the tuning pegs. The body is an awesome green print ink stained body covered with clear polyurethane. It even has a silver leaf dividing stripe down the middle of the front and back (my idea, and hubby said it was pure genius .) Fast forward to 4:10 and the guitar is seen in it's final finished condition. My hubby is a rockhound too and makes some jewelry from Petoskey and other Michigan stones, but he doesn't make anything like those picks.
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