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Post by llamabox on Nov 6, 2010 9:56:32 GMT -5
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ira
Senior Member
Posts: 72
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Post by ira on Nov 6, 2010 15:45:33 GMT -5
So exactly what kind of material is most of this?
A lot of it looks like agate or a complex chert.
Good looking finds!
Ira ;D
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Post by llamabox on Nov 6, 2010 20:44:43 GMT -5
It's Flint. Flint, Chert, Chalcedony take your pick.
The site is well known for it's colored flint.
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Post by colorshapetexture on Nov 6, 2010 20:49:05 GMT -5
Call it what you will. I call it pretty stuff. Cant wait to see it cut. You do cut right? That stuff is too pretty for yard rocks.
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Post by Ryan on Nov 6, 2010 20:56:34 GMT -5
WOW! These are so cool! In the eleventh one down, I see the grim reaper! Top right corner of the specimen. His sickle is pointing to the left, its actually a crack or reigion where the sample split off the earth, and his hooded head is looking left. I love looking at agates and such and seeing the "pictures" in them, kinda like watching shapes in the clouds go by. 1st one looks like a toothy fish striking at the surface for a quick bite of prey, 2nd one looks like pumpkin pie with whipped cream, yum .....or maybe i just smoked a lil too much wacky-tobaccy in college  Seriously though, these are beautiful. Never heard of Flint Ridge before. Gonna go google map it and see how far it is from me here in PA. |
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Post by llamabox on Nov 6, 2010 23:30:35 GMT -5
It shouldn't be more than a couple hours from you. It's on the far side of Columbus Ohio from me, so closer to you.
The first few pics are some slabs I cut at the rock club the night I got home. Tuesday I will cut a bunch more to trade to some folks I know looking for it.
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Post by auplater on Nov 23, 2010 10:25:37 GMT -5
We went this past weekend (11/20/2010) and got a boatload of the stuff. Wife pulled some clear xtalline masses from behind a large flint boulder located ~ 10 feet below grade , which I tentatively thought was vein quartz. At home that pm, after cleaning, I noted the pieces had a peculiarly un-quartz like luster, wrong xtal structure, weighed too much, and had a mohs 4 hardness!
Turns out, I'm almost 100% sure they're Fluorite, pale yellow floaters grading to slight purplish by reflected light. Nothing spectacular mind you, but I've yet to find any reference to fluorite from Flint Ridge, plus it makes me wanna go back and dig further behind that big ole flint boulder to see what drops out!!
Go figure, go for flint, find some fluorite, who'd a' thought... will post pics after I boil some with H2SO4 to confirm fluorite chemically.
John L.
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Post by llamabox on Nov 23, 2010 11:17:32 GMT -5
OK, now I am excited about this possibility.
Looks like I may be digging out in the snow here soon.
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Post by auplater on Nov 23, 2010 16:22:24 GMT -5
atypical Fluorite from Flint Ridge OH   and some flint  Chalcedony church  John L. |
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Post by rickb29212 on Nov 23, 2010 17:16:34 GMT -5
John, nice looking Flint Ridge flint. I think you might have some calcite instead of fluorite. Rick B
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Post by auplater on Nov 23, 2010 17:54:55 GMT -5
Thanx...
It's not calcite as boiling HCl doesn't touch it... also as stated hardness is mohs 4, and it's definitely not rhombohedral cleavage... cleaves like fluorite... plus boiling H2SO4 with powdered sample etches test tube glass... pretty definitive
l8tr
John L.
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Post by Ryan on Nov 24, 2010 2:35:23 GMT -5
I love Chalcedony Church. Such a cool piece. Thanks for sharing. You think that vein of massive flourite (if thats indeed what it is) has the possibility of turning out a few small crystals?
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Post by bammer on Nov 24, 2010 13:49:49 GMT -5
I live in Ohio and have collected Flint ridge for years. Just thinking outside the box but could it possibly be a pseudomorph of calcite replaced by quartz? quartz after calcite We have never found any Fluorite at flint ridge. Looks like Calcite. I have found Calcite at Flint Ridge. You never know what you might find in sediments. Here are a few photos of what I am calling Calcite posibly replaced by quartz collected at Flint Ridge, I think it is part of a coral head or something. It is honey translucent, the photo doesn't show that.  The crust is very soft and crumbley.   At least your havin' fun. |
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Post by auplater on Nov 24, 2010 16:06:30 GMT -5
Okay... went back and carefully mashed sample in pestle to fine powder... cleaned platinum wire w/ multiple dips in acid and DI water with flaming until colorless in MAPP torch.... Mea Culpa... it's barite.. after prolonged soaking in reducing center of flame cone, the red-orange color dissipates (~1 minute at red heat) and the pale green barium color emerges.... re-tested hardness with some cleavage fluorite octahedrons and it won't scratch a fresh cleavage face... duped again I guess... barite/fluorite/barite/fluorite...  gotta luv this hobby Part of why I posted here...reality check...  wanted to see who's found what at that site... thanx all for all your help... can't explain the test tube etching, tho... I'll have to retry that one... They're interesting pieces tho... some areas are crystal clear.. and show multiple cleavage planes throughout..much like fluorite.. along with internal rainbow dispersions within the clear areas, again like stress cracks or planes... here are some transmitted light photos...    auplater |
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gotta luv this hobby
wanted to see who's found what at that site... thanx all for all your help... can't explain the test tube etching, tho... I'll have to retry that one...