🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Need help to identify

Baray

Newbie
Aug 29, 2024
2
9
I collected many agate after barite pseudomorphs at Yellow Cat Flat in Utah in June. I recently cut them to reveal beautiful red and white agate replacement of the barite. But when I cut this one I found this. No one in my gem and mineral club and others has been able to identify it. Can anyone help?
BA638381-10AE-43D1-B24A-2A1140768730.jpeg
 

I don't know. Possibly a formation of crystals. You can't focus closeup on your photo. Odd that members of a gem and mineral organization wouldn't have some suggestions.
 

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Neat. It looks to me like what is generically known as ‘Chrysanthemum Stone’, which covers a multitude of rock types, although formed in essentially the same way. They’re usually Permian-age rocks within which high temperature and pressure causes them to have flower or star shaped white crystalline deposits that are usually andalusite but can also be celestite, calcite or feldspar. The matrix is often black limestone with high amounts of organic carbon but can also be dolomite, gypsum clay, or porphyry among others.

Sometimes there’s a spectacular isolated deposit (as in this specimen from my collection), and sometimes multiple smaller deposits like scattered snowflakes:

Chrysanthemum Stone.jpg


Some more examples at ‘mindat’ link below, but mineral sites tend only to have pictures of ‘display quality’ specimens. With some more extensive Googling, you may find specimens that more resemble yours.

https://www.mindat.org/gm/8275

That’s my best guess.
 

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Neat. It looks to me like what is generically known as ‘Chrysanthemum Stone’, which covers a multitude of rock types, although formed in essentially the same way. They’re usually Permian-age rocks within which high temperature and pressure causes them to have flower or star shaped white crystalline deposits that are usually andalusite but can also be celestite, calcite or feldspar. The matrix is often black limestone with high amounts of organic carbon but can also be dolomite, gypsum clay, or porphyry among others.

Sometimes there’s a spectacular isolated deposit (as in this specimen from my collection), and sometimes multiple smaller deposits like scattered snowflakes:

View attachment 2166251

Some more examples at ‘mindat’ link below, but mineral sites tend only to have pictures of ‘display quality’ specimens. With some more extensive Googling, you may find specimens that more resemble yours.

https://www.mindat.org/gm/8275

That’s my best guess.
Thanks Red-Coat. I had seen flower stones (chrysanthemum stone) in my research and thought maybe that’s what it could be. I thought since I found it among the agate after barite pseudomorphs, that it could be barite too but the pattern didn’t make sense to me. Someone on The Fossil Forum suggests that it could be a barite rose. if you imagine a cross section of one it could explain the pattern. Thanks again for your valuable insight and information!
 

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