Agate's, Jaspers,Carnelian Geode, Silicified stones and more.

[Mr_Rosenheim]

These specimens are from several on and off prospecting runs: some back to back and spanning for a total of about 2 months. I am currently underway with IDing these stones and can only rawly purport what these minerals are. The bulk of these stones have been found in small brooks: either by wading, or by rock shelf combing. I am keen to the Ohio Mineral Census and that they attest that Agate is not on their list of Home-stones; so I can only assume that all of these are likely drift from Glacial belts that came from Michigan or Canadia that have been deposited in Ohio as Till. Some of the Agate material I have collected is pretty atypical: it seems to have bedded itself in Sedimentary hosts instead of typical mother-stones like Andesite, Rhyolite, and Vesicular Basalt.

I have pinpointed an area called Lapeer Michigan which has an Agate that looks to be Sedimentary in origin and similar to a few of mine the topmost customer find of November 2008 here: (http://www.agatelady.com/photo-gallery-customer-agate-finds-november-2008.html#)

As for the Material I have found: it is highly varied, some with paired stones, some without, and some with many paired brother/sister stones. The first stone is what I am pegging as a Carnelian Geode; although it looks to be spalled off from a larger mass (which I searched my arse off for to no avail...hopefully I'll get to it in time though)

Here it is:

Next up is a Motley of Agate's: Two paired and similar to the one from Lapeer, one with a windowed red core that looks like twinned tadpoles, another that looks sort of like an Enhydro Agate, another with White/Grey-Brown banding; some looking like a form of Thunderegg with a chalky white exterior. Then there are some that look to be a form of Jasper & a Brown,Yellow color and with one Oolitic stone thrown in the mix.

For more Images of this set go here: (http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cf...202&page=20)

Next on the list is a very strange one indeed; I found it in an area that used to be a functioning Railyard that hosts a bevy of gravel burmes and runs & a large man made pond - I found it at the lip of the pond nearly sunken in pebbled gravel and water. I thumbed at it to get it out and soon found that it was some sort of Concretionary stone that looked as if it were flaking apart; from what I could tell it was definitely in the Crypto (crystalline Quartz) family so I pegged it as likely being a type of Agate. Well upon two days passing and me doing some Internet digging I notice that it has a semblance to Coprolite (which is Dino Dung). I still don't know for sure what it is, but I know one thing for sure: it has a dark bluish fortification band running along the outers of it's crypto crystals as well as some odd thatched lines in it's center that are near to the same color.

Here it is:

Last on my list of finds are another weird output of material; which I am fairly certain is Ohio-made. It seems to be some sort of silicified material, dark like some Onyx and Flint; although with characteristics of some Enhydro Agates. I haven't the slightest clue what this material is, but I found it in abundance: mostly consolidated in the same brooks I find most of the Mixed stones above - but some in wholly different Ohio counties.

Here it is:

[img:center]http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/82/l_e168a3d50d3045afa8574a6ec5c1ff5e.jpg

[img:center]http://c2.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/50/l_b863ba12f34943cc8534996c49ac8059.jpg

[img:center]http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/14/l_c10dacc6ca81483b961863b924d14fa3.jpg

Happy looking, and I'm open for answers or guesses if anyone has any.

- Mr. Rosenheim -

[DARK30]

No idea but some of it looks like it may have come from a cave system. Ive seen similar looking stuff from southeastern Minnesota.

[Mr_Rosenheim]

Sorry for the wait Dark: You made mention of some of the material looking as if it came from a Cave System? Was this the bottom most specimens that are a kind of Sfumato (Smoky) Salmon,Grey,White: some with crystal Drusies and others splashed with yellow? I have been told that that material has traits of Polish Flint; although it differs alot because my material is much more varied when Polish Flint is typically just black and Salmon Grey. Did you have any examples of the Southeastern Minnesota Material you came across for show and tell? Or were you speaking of some of the other more colorful specimens and not of the darker ones?

[DARK30]

I'll see if I can find my bucket of southeastern Minnesota stash and take a few pics. Lots of fossils down there too.

[Jim W]

The top two I have laid witness to many times in a pit located in SE MN, looking for agates. The pit is on the edge of a glacial drift. Dark has been there. One of the few private "walks" a guy can make.

The others especially the larger one looks as though it has limestone mixed in, hence the cave commment.

What would we do if rocks could eat?

Jim W