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MTNPIPR
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1st Father/Daughter Rockhounding - What is this???
Feb 10th, 2018 at 7:29pm
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So, here is the first really neat specimen my daughter (age 9) and I found while rockhounding the other day near Lake Isabella.  Strange in that we found it loose and covered under about 2 inches of dirt - with no surrounding rocks nearby that matched the underside of the specimen.  It has these great white shell-like spikey crystals, and some different crystals at the base of those before the rest of the rock which appears to be covered in very tiny crystals.  It is on a piece of something that looks and feels like a reddish-tan sandstone.

I would be interested in knowing what this (these) are, and also whether it is indigenous to this area, since we have seen nothing like any of this anywhere else around the 6 acres we search on.  All we have done to clean it so far is use distilled water in an Ultrasonic unit.  If there is anything else we should do to clean the specimen, that would be good to know, too.

Thank you in advance for any guidance (including how to take better pictures!).
« Last Edit: Feb 11th, 2018 at 1:15pm by MTNPIPR »  

IMG_0092.jpg ( 545 KB | 55 Downloads )
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Dennis
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Re: 1st Father/Daughter Rockhounding - What is this???
Reply #1 - Feb 11th, 2018 at 1:27pm
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Hey MTNPIPR,

That's a nice specimen.  You should check the hardness of any minerals before you use an ultrasonic cleaner.  Soft minerals may be damaged.  Your specimen looks like it has some calcite crystals, and the large crystals may be calcite, too.  They look like they suffered some slight damage, either by the cleaner or before you found it.  Calcite is number 3 on Moh's hardness scale for minerals.

To test for calcite, put a small drop of vinegar on one of the larger crystals, and one of the golden looking ones near the base.  You should see some fizzing or bubbles if the crystals are calcite.  Immediately rinse the specimen in cool water if you see bubbles to prevent further damage to them.

It is an attractive specimen as it is, and I suggest you not tumbling it.

Could you share the locality so we can check what minerals and geology are in that area?

Dennis
  
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MTNPIPR
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Re: 1st Father/Daughter Rockhounding - What is this???
Reply #2 - Feb 11th, 2018 at 1:38pm
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Dennis wrote on Feb 11th, 2018 at 1:27pm:
Hey MTNPIPR,


Could you share the locality so we can check what minerals and geology are in that area?

Dennis


Thank you.  It was under a bunch of decomposed granite and under the loop I didn't observe and change in the crystals, but totally get your point.  I'll see if I can find one of those hardness scale cheatsheets.  What is the lowest Mohs I should consider using ultrasonic cleaning for?

I also ran the vinegar test and did not observe any bubbling.  That said, I did look at the "overhang" crystals from underneath and I can tell that the crystals on top are not as sharp-edged as those underneath (which are really nice under a loop), so likely a function of exposure/erosion?

Cannot believe I forgot to mention where I found it - D'oh!  The locality was just west of Lake Isabella at about 3,500 feet elevation, sitting under a couple inches of decomposed granite (most of the surrounding area is composed of large granite boulders with a lot of quartz).
  
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Rebecca
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Re: 1st Father/Daughter Rockhounding - What is this???
Reply #3 - Feb 11th, 2018 at 1:40pm
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That is beautiful.
Could the white bladed mineral be barite?
Are the smaller darker crystals to the left of the white, green?
  
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MTNPIPR
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Re: 1st Father/Daughter Rockhounding - What is this???
Reply #4 - Feb 11th, 2018 at 2:05pm
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Rebecca wrote on Feb 11th, 2018 at 1:40pm:


Are the smaller darker crystals to the left of the white, green?


Thank you, Rebecca.  The smaller, darker crystals are just slightly cloudy and appear to have a slight greyish tint to them viewed under a loop.

I have uploaded a couple of better pictures in today's sunlight to give a better look (hopefully - no clue how y'all take such clear pictures, lol!).
  

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IMG_0103.jpg ( 1296 KB | 58 Downloads )
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Rebecca
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Re: 1st Father/Daughter Rockhounding - What is this???
Reply #5 - Feb 11th, 2018 at 4:52pm
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That is a great pic and a super beautiful specimen.
  
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