A 2010 Agatized Crinoid Calyx & Stems & possible Bivalves. & More!

[Mr_Rosenheim]

I thought I'd nosedive into a new thread to add to the melting pot of Agate finds of 2010; this new one is a weird one though. Half sea creature('s), half Agate, with a Chert matrix - a screwy looking Ohio Agate indeed! It almost reminds me of some (Sedimentary) Union Road Agates and Kentucky (Borden Formation) Agates. Since I'm not Itztli (The God of Stone...lol) I couldn't tell you exactly what types of fossils have been Agatized within this stone; but I'm guessing they are Crinoid Stems, with a Calyx & maybe with two possible Bivalves (Mollusk creatures) included.

This stone has Mustard Yellow Fortification banding on a Gamboge Burnt Orange Matrix; and the inset spots with the shell like eyes are where the possible bivalves are. This Agate also shows a slight greenly shine on what could be a Crinoid Calyx: the body of the Crinoid that contains it's organs and food gathering arms. So there might be some Green Agate inside!

Here's an example of a Crinoid's Calyx:

And here's a look at the possible Agatized Calyx on my specimen:

And an example of one of the possible Bivalves:

And as for the Fortification Banding:

P.S. I will also be tagging more of my 2009-2010 Agate finds soon; as I am a quack on Agates. Hope you enjoy this Ohioan find and "post up a storm Dark30, Sifty & Hotpocket" - I've got my eye on The First of the Year: Thread.

[DARK30]

I'm pickin up a few but nothing great. I missed out on the "opener" being in Arizona.

My camera takes terrible close up photos of small objects but I'll try and figure that out.

[TonkaBass]

Nice! I liked it!

[Mr_Rosenheim]

Glad to hear you're finding some stuff "at home in MN" & it's good to mix it up for a change; I would have liefly went along to Arizona for some Agateering anytime... the Pet-Wood out there is beholding too... some still have the age rings intact! In you're AZ wayfaring did you happen to hit up Sheep Bridge? They have some awesome Midnight Purple Zeolite/Sagenite Agates with High Contrast Pearly White & Fawn colored Fort banding.

For show and tell Here's some Sheep Bridge:

Also: I don't know if you do much Fossicking for Fossils and the like (I did see a Nautilus fossil you found "the one called a Cinnabon by someone...lol") and I know Petoskey stone's are everywhere in MI. Anyways I thought I'd share some good Chalcedonified/Chertified/Agatized Coral casts that I've been finding in OH (in this post) next. And maybe if you can get that camera's focus working you could share some Petoskey's/Fossils you've found?

But yeah more than anything I'd like to see you're AZ and 2010 MI stash.

[Mr_Rosenheim]

Thanks Tonka: how's you're 2010 for Agate finding any "Roman Candle colorful" Agates you've run across?

[TonkaBass]

Thanks Tonka: how's you're 2010 for Agate finding any "Roman Candle colorful" Agates you've run across?

I went to the river with a metal rake and some waders, but the rocks are all cover with this slim and hard to see what they are... My shed hunting has been more promising

[Mr_Rosenheim]

Algae

Is nearly as bad as Caliche!

Personally I think Algae is more marring though because it can cru up like mold and stain worse than beet juice; Caliche on the other hand is like nature's brackish flypaper... some paper mache scum that attaches itself to rocks like seagull sh*t to cars...lol. Ol' Muriatic Acid does it in though.

By the way what's Shed Hunting?

[Mr_Rosenheim]

Since this is a 2010 Thread I thought I would add my newest 2010 Bijou (Jewel) of an Agate; for me this is "My Poster-stone" of Ohioan Agates - the most winsome looking, gentry stone I've found! I rousted that old Abandoned Railyard (I always go to) for this one (and on a gloomy day I came across this) and you know It actually has a Crowley's Ridge (Arkansas) Agate sort of look too it! It's got a similar color scheme to the Gamboge Crinoid Stem Agate I found (in this thread); but the Matrix material is different; it's even like a few Laker's that Ive come by on HSO-Classifieds. Anyways for a short-shot of exposition on it's overall look: It has an Earthy Orange freckled husk, inlaid with a dominant set of pinstripe Yellow/Orange twinned fort bands; stacked aside thinly Black bands, and with a core of Olive Green blanched banding. Then upon close inspection you will find an almost Femur-bone shaped fort band, small clusters of fish eye fortification bands, a mottled up Yellowed Tan side; and even nuances of Purple in a Chalcedony Crystal cavity. This thing is a real looker for Ohio!

Here it is:

[Mr_Rosenheim]

As an added bonus I thought I would throw in something offbeat for this forum: GEODES (which I came upon with my brother)! These things are a dying breed here in Ohio "and very hard to find"; you can largely find them only in Southern Ohio in Portsmouth near to Kentucky (Especially in Green river) where Geodes are rife as ever! (http://digitalrockhound.blogspot.com/2009/08/geodes-rare-in-ohio.html)

I can't key in on where I found these; I would, but I risk having the place getting gutted and becoming a dry watering hole overnight! Also since Geodes typically hole up in a given area "in number" like a nidus of spiders... it's quite possible that if I go back to where I found them I could get a lucky strike and find "A Geode Bed!"

Anyways here they are: (They look to be made up of Chalcedony, Micro-Quartz and Calcite) (Oh and I didn't dip them in Acid for fear of Specimen Sabotage)

[TonkaBass]

Very nice!