22 Murfreesboro agates

[Red_desert]

That's not fried chicken, those are agates from a recent trip to Crater of Diamonds state park.


A ruler for size, large black gold pan.


Here are close ups, taken on a 1" blue grid.


They can be banded also.


All 22 agates came from 1 tailing pile.


The color comes from sandstone, not sure how.....whether formed in sandstone cracks or replaced it.

[Red_desert]

More Murfreesboro agate close ups.


Most of them found by people screening for diamonds are real small, but at the crater much larger agates do get spotted sometimes.


The trick to finding this size of agates is to look through piles containing flat pieces of sandstone. A few agates often can be recovered that way.


Not all are flat, but it takes a geologist to distinguish between some from jasper that has fractured and filled in with similar color stone.

[Red_desert]

Agates as a group, over the 1 inch grid lines.


From a different angle, cropped into 2 sections, left side first.


Then the right section...

[bookcliff]

Nice pics Red. If you get out my way we'll have to go rockhounding. Among other things.
Nick

[Red_desert]

Nice pics Red. If you get out my way we'll have to go rockhounding. Among other things.
Nick

Thank's Nick, once Old Dog invited me out that way too! I really like rockhounding & hiking those trails. Maybe something could be planned sometime, but warmer weather, this cold is getting hard for me to put up with anymore. Are you anywhere close to Interstate 70?

[bookcliff]

I'm close enough. My heart is. That's one of my favorite areas. But a bit west of Old Dog.

[Red_desert]

Being west of Old Dog is much better, that means his location could be a stop on the way. Anyway, it is good to have some ideas far in advance of possible trip destinations. It would definitely have to be an early summer adventure, those higher elevations take time to thaw out.... I do better in warmer weather. But you should be in a warmer area right?