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zeolitic needles in red agate

Posted by William Anderson  
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William Anderson
zeolitic needles in red agate
August 29, 2006 09:32PM
Let's try a red agate thunderegg from the Baker mine in south New Mexico. Green needles derived from natrolite I think,,in red agate. This is more a pic post test than anything.
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open | download - HPIM2490.JPG (74.3 KB)
Ian Merkel
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
August 29, 2006 10:46PM
Superb!!!!
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Ray Hill
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
August 30, 2006 04:30PM 		ca    
sometimes sagenitic too
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William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
August 30, 2006 07:41PM
Yes Ray

Sagenite is a popular term here. There are so many elongated needle like inclusions in these agate nodules in New Mexico, that there needs to be some handy catch all term to refer to such structure. Purist geology types would note that to be true sagenite, the presence of rutile is necessary. Whatever the cause, wild inclusions are a whole lot of fun. Here is a softball size thunderegg that has wonderful inclusions of what started out being stibnite,(at least by populsr area consensus). enjoy
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open | download - HPIM2504.JPG (45.2 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
August 31, 2006 10:28PM
Maybe I'll add a few more egg pics just to pad out the thread. Here is one more in the habit of the previous egg. Some of these eggs are too cute for old guys,, but oh well,,,
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open | download - HPIM2518.JPG (175.5 KB)
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Jim Bean
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 01, 2006 01:06AM
I'm enjoying the pics... keep 'em coming!
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William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 01, 2006 07:17PM
Here is an expressive egg from a different place,,still south New Mexico, Luna County,, the needles look like tule reeds in a pond, and the calcite outline on the right looks like a good place to sit on and fish from
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open | download - HPIM2523.JPG (128.2 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 05, 2006 01:32AM
Time for another egg. No needles in this one,, waiting on some bright sunlight to take more pics. In the meantime,, Here is a concentrically ruptured egg shell. These are neat because they make an egg in an egg in an egg in an egg. Or more depending on how many ruptures the egg experienced
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open | download - HPIM2533.JPG (130.7 KB)
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Denise Bicknell
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 05, 2006 03:46AM 		us    
Very nice Bill!
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Marius Utens
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 05, 2006 07:25AM
Are the zeolitic needles similar on the material in moss agate?
marius utens
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William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 05, 2006 02:58PM
Hi Marius

My best understanding on Moss agate in eggs is that the moss structure derives from filament nucleation on the egg walls, then the subsequent development into the egg cavity. The filaments I'd guess are likely carbonate based with suspended colloids adding different character to moss from the different locations. The moss egg included is 6 inch diameter from south Luna county NM, Little Florida Mountains
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open | download - HPIM2542.JPG (237.3 KB)
Ferdinando Giovine
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 05, 2006 04:15PM
Hi Marius,
I have in collection 2 samples of agate thunderegg with, in the hole, Heulandite and Hyalite Opal from Fallen Tree claim, NE di Prineville, Crook Co., Oregon
Ferdinando
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William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 06, 2006 07:35PM
An egg from last Saturday's dig. The inclusions at the bottom end have both multi colored needles and plumes. From Grant county NM
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open | download - HPIM2565.JPG (149.2 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 06, 2006 11:27PM
Here is a fun egg. The big dogtooth on the left is still raw, didnt get changed into anything. Just lives in the quartz crystal geode. The neat thing about this egg though is the angular unconformity to the two levels of waterline opal,(the white bodies). This demonstrates that the egg tilted during the process of being filled with the opal. The tilt happened along a half mile zone, as the eggs all in that zone show the same effect. Luna County NM,, Little Florida mountains
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open | download - HPIM2597.JPG (105.4 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 10, 2006 11:41PM
Another tilt egg, notice the two angles of the waterline opal hiding behind a great stibnite array that lost a fight to a bunch of manganese.
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open | download - HPIM2620.JPG (92 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 13, 2006 07:48PM
Small geode from the Baker deposit, NM. Dogtooth crystals sitting in a hollow of slightly pink quartz crystals.
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open | download - HPIM2625.JPG (86.2 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 14, 2006 10:53PM
This large geode came from the Little Florida Mtns, Luna Co, NM. Basically a double chamber quartz crystal geode, The base shows the angular unconformity that demonstrates tilting during the filling process, as seen in the straight line agate banding. You might be able to just notice a resin yellow dogtooth bottom center of the hollow. The rock hammer put there for a scale object used to be a 22 ouncer, til I wore it out. This half is crowding 100 pounds. The twin half got filmed by the Travel Channel, to be used in an upcoming New Mexico egg digging bit. The cat ears on top make the whole nodule look like a chubby cat.
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open | download - HPIM2646.JPG (157.6 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 15, 2006 11:34PM
Heres an egg with a little different habit,, 8 inch approx from Dona Ana county NM. Deep blue agate with a dendritic plume hiding about an eighth inch under the agate. Top of the plume looks sort of like a long broccoli head, and extends all the way to the bottom of the core chamber. The egg face needs to be lapped down to bring the plume to the surface where it will appear jet black, as now do the fragments on the surface.
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open | download - HPIM2650.JPG (96.7 KB)
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Jim Bean
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 17, 2006 05:38PM
That last one is certainly other-worldly looking!
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William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 18, 2006 09:26PM
A quarter mile east of where the cat egg came from. in the Little Floridas, Luna County NM, came this white agate egg. This half is 20 pounds, has a nice tilt, some shadow banding in the outer fortification bands, and eyes that remind me of the Laguna agate from old Mexico.
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open | download - HPIM2674.JPG (95.3 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 19, 2006 10:06PM
Another Dona Ana County NM egg, , a little different than the norm,, about a 40 pounder whole,,
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open | download - HPIM2687.JPG (107.9 KB)
robert knox
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 20, 2006 07:15PM 		us    
Hi William, I just wanted to tell you how much I am enjoying the photos of your Bakers and other(?) New Mexico eggs! You seem to have quite a few and I'm curious if you know of any good reference books on the material. I have the new Johann Zenz book on agates and it has a small ammount of information, as well as a few mentions in other books and periodicals in my libriary... but no comprehensive one. Do you have a suggestion?
Bob
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William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 20, 2006 10:07PM
Hi Robert,, Thank you. I have the Zenz book also and it is great to get all fired up with just before you leave for the digs. I really don't use books much to hunt with. My database includes bedrock geology maps, topos, and the faithful gps. Success so far includes targeting flowbanded rhyolites and perlites from the bedrock geology maps, transposing the targets onto topos so I can find landforms in the field, plotting targets into gps co ordinates, and putting on the hiking boots. The one thing to factor in, the geologists who drew the bedrock geology maps didn't use standard nomenclature. Some call it perlites, some welded pyroclastics, etc,, so you have to first figure what they are talking about. If I can locate some perlite in the field, I backtrack onto their map and see what they call it, then look for more of the same stuff off the map. This region is a treasure trove of excellent agate eggs.

On to todays egg: A small geode from the Baker mine,, which has delicate stalagtites the locals refer to as angel wing.
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open | download - HPIM2693.JPG (100.4 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 21, 2006 10:25PM
This is a thunderegg agate core with the outer shell weathered off. The core was found in the alluvial fan below its source hill. The most it could have travelled is a half mile. The source will be a serious target later this winter. If whole eggs can be found unweathered in the perlite, and with these astounding needles, you'll hear me holler all the way to the Atlantic.
From the Pyramid Peak Mtns, south of Lordsburg NM.
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open | download - HPIM2701.JPG (52.7 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 22, 2006 09:23PM
Sometimes you can dig small eggs with blue fire opal in them. South Luna County NM near Hermanas
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open | download - HPIM2703.JPG (39.5 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 23, 2006 07:55PM
Rockhound State Park, Deming NM has eggs that have multi hued jasper in the cores. The multi hued billows remind me of the morrisonite type. Here are two eggs from the park.
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open | download - HPIM2725.JPG (113.7 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 24, 2006 02:12PM
This geode is interesting in that it started out with some needles in the floor that got coated first by agate then later by smokey quartz crystals. You can see the coated result in the structure in the floor, and the needle and agate cross section on the polished face. About 8 inches diameter, from the Little Florida Mtns, Luna County NM,, and at the site of the old Sugar Bowl mine.
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open | download - HPIM2737.JPG (120.1 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 24, 2006 02:16PM
This is the companion half to the previous geode, that shows the needle core with a little more detail.
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open | download - HPIM2748.JPG (106.3 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 24, 2006 09:46PM
In south Luna County there is a region that has brightly colored eggs, starting from the Baker deposit and extending south deep into old Mexico. Following are several bright color eggs from small unnamed deposits on the American side of the border
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open | download - HPIM2753.JPG (137.6 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 24, 2006 09:50PM
Another in this series
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open | download - HPIM2761.JPG (108 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 24, 2006 09:52PM
And another in this series
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open | download - HPIM2762.JPG (88.5 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 24, 2006 09:55PM
Last one from this tiny bed
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open | download - HPIM2764.JPG (188.8 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
September 26, 2006 09:14PM
Colorful eggs of a slightly different habit. The major difference between these and Bakers is the horizontally bedded waterline agate levels. Bakers rarely have these. Comparable color though.
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open | download - HPIM2776.JPG (131.5 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
October 13, 2006 12:37AM
Dug today at the NM Baker egg mine. About a 30 pounder. Just for a goof I tapped the perimeter til the geode came in half. I can't cut and polish everything on the planet,, This is a quartz crystal geode,, 5 point star core,, fire engine red druze coating the crystals,, A band of amethyst surrounding the core. A sweetie
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open | download - HPIM2824.JPG (156.6 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
October 19, 2006 09:11PM
Dug yesterday,, just 5 minutes off the saw today. About a 9 pounder,, still has a little carbonate on the crystals that needs cleaning. South Luna County NM
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open | download - HPIM2832.JPG (213.5 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
October 30, 2006 11:46PM
Found a brand new egg bed yesterday,, Luna County,, Little Florida Mtns,, Here are 3 pics of the first cut fresh off the saw,, wet and not polished.
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open | download - HPIM2847.JPG (99.6 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
October 30, 2006 11:48PM
2nd pic
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open | download - HPIM2849.JPG (105.9 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
October 30, 2006 11:49PM
last pic
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open | download - HPIM2850.JPG (90.7 KB)
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Jim Bean
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 09, 2006 02:02AM
Had a chance to go egging with Bill in late October with a few other Mindat chatters. Had a wonderful time and found lots of interesting types of material in the area. Another visit is already in the works for next year around the same time if anyone's interested.
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William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 11, 2006 05:13PM
A couple more from the new place
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open | download - HPIM2869.JPG (102.6 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 11, 2006 05:16PM
fortification agate with shadow banding make these notable
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open | download - HPIM2874.JPG (90.8 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 11, 2006 05:20PM
the pic didn't do the agate justice
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open | download - HPIM2877.JPG (127.4 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 19, 2006 04:51PM
Fresh off the polisher, super shadowbanded fortification agate, with what looks like twin filltubes, an oddity,, S Luna Co NM
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open | download - HPIM2906.JPG (114.4 KB)
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Denise Bicknell
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 19, 2006 07:54PM 		us    
Bill, that is killer! I just HAVE to get over there one of these days!
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John Cornish
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 21, 2006 10:32PM
Hi William,

Thank you for taking the time to post, you've some wonderful pieces here! The sizes (!!!), the combinations of colors, patterns, etc., very nice. You've got quite a collection and it's a gift that you've shared, thanks. All the very best,

John
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William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 22, 2006 06:06PM
Thanks John for your kind words. This place is blessed with a lot of mineral kingdom riches. I have a pretty narrow focus, so dont go after all the carbonates here, or the manganese minerals,, or the fluorites or coppers, but they are all here. Also leads, silvers, gold, zincs. Too much for one lifetime.

Just off the polisher today, a couple more from the latest digs.
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open | download - HPIM2911.JPG (219.1 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 23, 2006 10:46PM
Time for some bright holiday colors. Off the polisher today. The next 3 pics are from Baker,, South NM

This one has multi color agate surrounding an amethyst crystal pocket where the amethyst is so dark, the crystals appear black. There is an outer band of tiny agate floater spheres.
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open | download - HPIM2919.JPG (161.1 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 23, 2006 10:48PM
Lots of color here.
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open | download - HPIM2925.JPG (158.8 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
November 23, 2006 10:51PM
Bright colors, slightly different habit from the last two pics, Happy holiday season everybody!!
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open | download - HPIM2942.JPG (122 KB)
Ricardo & Claudia Birnie
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
December 01, 2006 02:28AM
Dear John :
Here is a pair of Patagonian Thunder-eggs from Patagonia . The picture is not very good , but the color is deep blue. The source of these T.E. has been flooded by heavy rains and a river. It has been impossible for us to return there... maybe in a year or so.
By the way your T.E. collection is really out of this World!!
Ricardo & Claudia Birnie
Argentina
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open | download - PATAGONIAN THUNDEREGG 16 1.600 GRAMS.jpg (61.6 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
December 02, 2006 01:00AM
Outstanding color Ricardo!!
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Ricardo & Claudia Birnie
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
December 03, 2006 04:30AM
This is another example of T. Eggs found in Patagonia. Although we are much more into agate collection , we cannot avoid collecting certain specimens.
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open | download - Copia de patagonian thunderegg 32 1`` 255 grams.jpg (47.9 KB)
William Anderson
Re: zeolitic needles in red agate
December 08, 2006 12:36AM
Off the saw this morning,, the fortification agate is getting interesting at the new spot, strongly shadow banded,, Luna County NM