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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Rocks of Chatham Co., NC (Read 47611 times)
JoeM
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Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Jan 17th, 2016 at 3:23pm
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I want to post some pictures of the different pretty rocks I have
been collecting in Chatham County. I am posting it in this section of the board
because these are materials I'm looking at as possible cabbing material.
I do have a limited supply of slabs for sale and am working on more all the time.

I suppose one title for this thread could be;
" From the Volcanic Flow-Banded Rhyolites and Porphyritic Rhyo-Dacites through the Welded Tuffs and Meta-Sedimentary Siltstones to the Indurated Argillites and Mudstones of Eastern Chatham County."
But they're really all rocks and if you really press me for a name
I'm going to tell you Jasper. Wink

Speaking of Jasper, this first type reminds many folks of the very famous old Morrisonite Jasper
from Oregon. Too bad it doesn't have the same hardness and porcelain-like consistency.
With a big nod to the local popular bluegrass band, Chatham County Line,
I am thinking about calling this stuff, "Chatham County Lime". Smiley

  

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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #1 - Jan 17th, 2016 at 3:27pm
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No two rocks are exactly alike.
Here's one still in the saw and another slab.
  

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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #2 - Jan 17th, 2016 at 3:34pm
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Another variety has more "banding" and "faulted banding".
I love the contrast in colors, especially the lighter "lime" greens.
BTW, most all slabs are pictured wet to bring out color.
  

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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #3 - Jan 17th, 2016 at 3:43pm
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I don't know why but "Sprinkled Pink" springs to mind. Roll Eyes
  

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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #4 - Jan 17th, 2016 at 3:50pm
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I bet you didn't know Chatham County used to be a beach?
I found the proof right here in this here rock. Wink
  

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Scott LaBorde
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #5 - Jan 19th, 2016 at 10:39am
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Those are some gorgeous slabs Joe.  In your first post those slabs remind me of poplar trees (especially 5th/6th picture down on first post).  Thanks for taking the time to set up and photograph those great slabs.  I can't wait to see some finished products from those slabs.  North Carolina is a great place for rocks.   Cheesy
  

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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #6 - Jan 19th, 2016 at 11:09pm
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Thanks, and yes yes, I want to see some finished too.  Tongue
I'll be posting more pics as I slab more. Most of what I have left to cut is the banded and faulted variety.
The "Poplar tree" stuff, or Chatham County Lime, has been real hard to stumble across.
  
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #7 - Jan 20th, 2016 at 6:05pm
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Great color and patterns. ⛏😃⛏
  
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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #8 - Jan 22nd, 2016 at 2:11pm
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One could easily spend a lifetime studying all the different varieties
and formations of rock that compose the Carolina Slate Belt.
Here is a piece of what I am calling volcaniclastic porphyritic rhyodacite.
Varities of this rock are common and outcrop throughout the slate belt.
This material is more commonly just a dark black to grey background with various phenocrysts and microspherulites and I was just curious what the red "marbling" would look like.
BTW, material of this type from different locations in the slate belt was popular tool making rock for the aboriginals of the area.
  

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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #9 - Jan 23rd, 2016 at 10:10pm
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Those are some awesome slabs and the pictures are great.  The ridges show up well.  Do you have any photos of the rocks before they are cut?  I would like to know what they look like in case I stumble across any.  Wishful thinking!  I look forward to seeing how they look when cabbed too.
  
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #10 - Jan 23rd, 2016 at 10:15pm
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Looks suitable as an architectural stone too.
  
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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #11 - Jan 24th, 2016 at 9:39am
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And I am sure much of it has been used as such, tim.

Thanks, jewels, I will post more pics of the rough in the future.
The 'ridges" in the last piece are not found in all of this rock. Only in certain varieties
and should be a signature of how/when the rock was formed.
  
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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #12 - Jan 25th, 2016 at 12:38am
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Hey julie, sorry about the side-track there, but to get back on thread
and your question.
These rock types can be found in numerous places throughout the Slate belt.
Anywhere between the Haw River and the Yadkin-PeeDee would be good.
You can study the USGS maps of the area for hot spots of the type of rock you are looking for.
Most of it is overgrownwithvegetation rock and not much to look at.
As with anywhere else you need some sort of disturbance to the ground for a fresh exposure to look at.
Lots of times there is a rusty ferric rind on the outside of the rock and you can only tell
what's inside by breaking a piece off. Like the piece at far left in first pic below.
But sometimes, if you get far enough below the surface, the rock looks the same on the outside as inside.
Once you get the dirt off it's pretty easy to read.
Pic 2 and 3 are front and back of the same piece that I have made a few cuts on. Other than the cuts, it's rough.
  

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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #13 - Jan 25th, 2016 at 9:01am
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That is some neat stuff Joe!  Have you gone back recently to collect more or was this from an original haul?  I'm curious to where you found it because I might have a similar location in a neighborhood that was being built.  It might be all gone by this point though.

  
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JoeM
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Re: Rocks of Chatham Co., NC
Reply #14 - Jan 25th, 2016 at 10:56am
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Thanks, Collin, glad you are finding something of interest in all this rambling.
This rock has been collected over a long period. Not any one big haul.
I still have a good size pile in the yard to cut, and since I keep adding to it
the pile never seems to get any smaller.
Alot of good rock came from the Chapel Ridge development just north of Pittsboro back in 2006 and '07.
And there's a spot I collected 20-30 years ago halfway between Pittsboro and Siler City.
Lately, it is where you find it. Wink
On the USGS maps I look for Zvrd and Zvqg zones.
  
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