Post your fossils, minerals and crystals

[robinjojo]

Here's a one hour documentary on fossils from the Green River Formation in southwestern Wyoming, that you might find interesting.  It was originally aired on PBS in March of this year:

https://www.pbs.org/video/fossil-country-ybsvac/

 

[NewStyleKing]

It was quite good. Interesting the tussle between  Museum types and private collectors,  Similar with coins!  The Museo Archaeolgica Chieti ,Italy has had its portion of the Poggio Picenze hoard for ONLY 70 years  and will not allow the the publication of the hoard, it is like its OUR PROPERTY!  PO!  The hoard is an interesting mix , presumably the savings of a Sullan veteran of the 1st Mithradatic war Sullan soldier, Lucullan's, New Styles, Pontic, Cappadocian, Bithynian etc plus lots of Aetolian league stuff and reputedly Roman denarii!  I asked for photographs so that I could publish ( FREE!) the New Styles but they played around and basically obstructed numismatical knowledge.

That is how it lies some YEARS later!  There is no difference between Public and private in my opinion  except some of us private people are better than the paid professionals in morals!

The picture is from Ms Campanella's exhibition of the hoard of which I cannot find any information, on the web, or from the museo...does the WWW.  exist in Italy?

The tail end of the photograph is interesting in New Style studies and contains a rarity, but does the Italians know or care...NO!  A part of the hoard is published in NSSCA and in the ANS, some was dispersed and this portion was imprisoned in almost solitary confinement! 

[robinjojo]

3 hours ago, NewStyleKing said:

It was quite good. Interesting the tussle between  Museum types and private collectors,  Similar with coins!  The Museo Archaeolgica Chieti ,Italy has had its portion of the Poggio Picenze hoard for ONLY 70 years  and will not allow the the publication of the hoard, it is like its OUR PROPERTY!  PO!  The hoard is an interesting mix , presumably the savings of a Sullan veteran of the 1st Mithradatic war Sullan soldier, Lucullan's, New Styles, Pontic, Cappadocian, Bithynian etc plus lots of Aetolian league stuff and reputedly Roman denarii!  I asked for photographs so that I could publish ( FREE!) the New Styles but they played around and basically obstructed numismatical knowledge.

That is how it lies some YEARS later!  There is no difference between Public and private in my opinion  except some of us private people are better than the paid professionals in morals!

The picture is from Ms Campanella's exhibition of the hoard of which I cannot find any information, on the web, or from the museo...does the WWW.  exist in Italy?

The tail end of the photograph is interesting in New Style studies and contains a rarity, but does the Italians know or care...NO!  A part of the hoard is published in NSSCA and in the ANS, some was dispersed and this portion was imprisoned in almost solitary confinement! 

I've read about the issue of access to the new style owls held by the Museo Archaeolgica.  They may come around yet and allow access to them for researchers, time will tell.

The issue in Fossil Country regarding museums centers around the cost of truly unique and valuable finds.  Most museums, even well endowed ones, often can't afford to compete with wealthy private collectors for these types of fossils.  As with coins, this issue has roots going back many years, especially since the explosion in interest with the Green River fossil fish and other vertebrate fossils from the area.  Still, some museums such as the Field Museum in Chicago seem to have a good working relationship with the various quarries.  

As with coins, the film looks at the conflict between academic researchers and fossil collectors.  Should the US prohibit the sale of fossils, in line with Europe and other countries?  I don't think that type of law should apply to the vast amounts of common finds.  The truly unique finds, such as the three-toe horse are a different situation.  As things turned out with that find, the Smithsonian Museum was able to raise the funds, with the help of donors, to acquire the fossil, so now it is on public exhibit for all to see with wonder. 

[NewStyleKing]

Not aware the UK has a prohibition on the private sale of fossils.  Maybe ours are not good enough!!!

[robinjojo]

I'm not sure about the UK, but apparently the US is just about the only country that still has private mineral rights that allow private ownership of minerals existing at and below the surface of a property.

[robinjojo]

While generally lacking in color, this is a very rare agate nonetheless.  The Soviets were said to have used dynamite to break up the formation containing the nodules, resulting in lots of broken, shattered pieces.  The surviving stones were kept in a warehouse somewhere in the USSR for years, appearing on the market for a brief period in the early 2000s. I haven't seen any new offerings for many years now, and no more examples are expected to come out of Russia.

This is my northern most agate, from the Arctic region of Russian.  I guess it is fitting that it has the colors of a northern winter.

Agate, Taymyr River, Siberia, Russia, 55mm x 56mm x 35mm, 156.8 grams.

This specimen is a very good example of how variations in pressure within the cavity influences how successive deposits of silica solutions expand and contract.  Note the "squeezed" nature of the central banding, creating a distortion in what would otherwise be a more evenly distributed banding.  Since the deposition of the silica solution occur after the cooling of the parent formation, and this occurs at relatively low temperatures to form the fine cryptocrystalline structures, the pressure variation might be due, in my view, to external factors, notably the welling up of superheated water or steam from areas close to a magma chamber, a various intervals.  This is just a guess on my part; I am by no means an authority to say the least.  It is fun to speculate on these things.

Edited October 5, 2022 by robinjojo

[expat]

7 minutes ago, robinjojo said:

While generally lacking in color, this is a very rare agate nonetheless.  The Soviets were said to have used dynamite to break up the formation containing the nodules, resulting in lots of broken, shattered pieces.  The surviving stones were kept in a warehouse somewhere in the USSR for years, appearing on the market for a brief period in the early 2000s. I haven't seen any new offerings for many years now, and no more examples are excepted to come out of Russia.

Agate, Taymyr River, Siberia, Russia, 55mm x 56mm x 35mm, 156.8 grams.

Wonderful seperations, great image.

This was a gift, have no idea where it is from

 

[robinjojo]

I do have a few individual crystals.  This is a very dark blue tourmaline from the Shigar District, Pakistan.   Its chemical composition is Na(Li 1.5 Al 1.5 )Al 6 (Si 6 O 18 )(BO 3 ) 3 (OH) 3 (OH).

Indicolite Tourmaline Crystal , Shigar District, Pakistan, 32mm x 59mm x 33mm, 747.5 carats.

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by robinjojo

[robinjojo]

27 minutes ago, expat said:

Wonderful seperations, great image.

This was a gift, have no idea where it is from

 

It could be from Northern Mexico.

[expat]

3 minutes ago, robinjojo said:

It could be from Northern Mexico.

I will concentrate my search based on that region, thank you

[John Conduitt]

On 10/2/2022 at 3:47 PM, NewStyleKing said:

Not aware the UK has a prohibition on the private sale of fossils.  Maybe ours are not good enough!!!

Technically, in the UK fossils belong to the landowner. But generally, you can keep anything you find. The exception is in places like the Jurassic Coast (i.e. where you would find fossils) where certain fossils that are scientifically signficant (new species etc) have to be reported and have particular rules for selling. You're also not allowed to dig there.

Edited October 5, 2022 by John Conduitt

[expat]

1 minute ago, John Conduitt said:

Technically, in the UK fossils belong to the landowner. But generally, you can keep anything you find. The exception is in places like the Jurassic Coast (i.e. where you would find fossils) where certain fossils that are scientifically signficant (new species etc) have to be reported and have particular rules for selling. You're also not allowed to dig there.

Almost the same here in Spain. Anything found loose on the surface is yours, No digging allowed. Any vertibrate fossils found have to be reported.

[CPK]

Thread bump!

In between new coin acquisitions, I've taken the time to acquire a few interesting fossils/minerals for a very small and humble collection. Here is one of my favorites, a beautiful polished stone called Dragon's Blood Jasper with lovely contrasting colors. Just took the photos this evening:

DRAGON’S BLOOD JASPER
This colorful mineral derives its name from its striking appearance – reminiscent of green dragon scales splashed with dark red blood. It is a relatively recent discovery, and is mined primarily in Western Australia and South Africa. Dragon’s Blood Jasper is thought to be composed of epidote and piemontite, though the precise composition has yet to be confirmed.
Specimen information:
Size: Approx. 49x40mm, 8mm thick
Weight: 32.70g

[Bonshaw]

This isn't particularly special, but for me it has a lot of historical resonance. This is a raw, unworked piece of Polish chocolate flint. 

Polish chocolate flint was a critical tool material from the middle paleolithic, through the mesolithic and neolithic, to the iron age, so we are talking about 250,000 years of it being a critical natural resource. Rock outcroppings in Poland were mined and distributed throughout Europe. 

I find it remarkable to see such a special rock, now not so special at all, but still pretty cool. This one was never worked: raw material, all potential. Perhaps one day, crude oil will be a simple curiosity from a bygone era.

Edited July 24 by Bonshaw

[CPK]

1 minute ago, Bonshaw said:

This isn't particularly special, but for me it has a lot of historical resonance. This is a raw, unworked piece of Polish chocolate flint. 

Polish chocolate flint was a critical tool material from the middle paleolithic, through the mesolithic and neolithic, to the iron age, so we are talking about 250,000 years of it being a critical natural resource. Rock outcroppings in Poland were mined and distributed throughout Europe. 

I find it remarkable to see such a special rock, now not so special at all, but still pretty cool. This one was never worked: raw material, all potential. Perhaps one day, crude oil will be a simple curiosity from a bygone era.

Lovely stone! Think how valuable that would have been, back then.

[Edessa]

Back in 2008, an English Ebay seller of coins was asked to sell a collection of flints from a friend of his, that, if I remember correctly, had worked in a quarry and collected several hundred of indeterminate age. I thought they were cool and picked up several lots. Can't say that I know much else about them.

 

 

[expat]

@Edessa I remember looking for flints when I was a child. Until 8 years old I lived in Thetford, Norfolk in the UK. The place was awash with them. One of our favourite places was called Grime´s Graves. It was used as a Neolithic mine for hundreds of years. In about 2500BC, miners began carving out the tunnels using tools made from deer antlers to mine the flint for use in everyday items and tools. There was also a local pub called The Flintknapper´s Arms.

[Edessa]

That is so cool. Can't wait until the next time I go visit chums in Warminster and can get back into a real British Pub. Here is one from Thetford:

British Anglo-Saxon. Kings of All England. Æthelred II, AD 978-1016. AR Penny (20mm, 1.72g, 6h). Long Cross type (BMC iva, Hild. D). Theodford (Thetford) mint; Osbern, moneyer. Struck circa AD 997-1003. Obv: ✠ÆÐELRÆD REX Λ(NG)LO; Draped bust left; pellet behind. Rev: ✠OSBERN M'O ÐEOD; Voided long cross, with pellet at center and triple-crescent ends. Ref: North 774; SCBC 1151. Nice Very Fine, nicely tones, slight striking weakness.

[robinjojo]

I thought I add a few more minerals to the thread.

Laguna Agate, Chihuahua Mexico.  An old surface find, with natural coloration.

 

 Native Gold on quartz, crystalline,  Coulterville CA.

51.7 grams

 

Native copper, Zlate Hory, Czech Republic.

717.2 grams

[AncientOne]

I not sure if these are some kind of stones or a composite material. Does anyone have an idea as to what these might be?  5 inches long.

Edited July 25 by AncientOne

[robinjojo]

4 hours ago, AncientOne said:

I not sure if these are some kind of stones or a composite material. Does anyone have an idea as to what these might be?  5 inches long.

The cabochons seem to be a type of jasper, with a gilt finish applied to the upper portion of the top stone and a lesser amount to the lower stone, based on the photos.  That is a very interesting ancient Egyptian-theme work! 

[robinjojo]

Also, although I am by no means a expert when it comes to jewelry, my guess is that the pendant is likely from the 1920s, when there was a great revival in all things Egyptian. 

The dragon-like figure holding the top cabochon in place is an interesting feature. The scorpion in the center section is really cool!

Also there seems to be some numbers or letters on back of the lower section, but I cannot decipher them.  There also seems to be a clasp holding that section to the rest of the pendant.  

Edited July 25 by robinjojo

[AncientOne]

9 minutes ago, robinjojo said:

The cabochons seem to be a type of jasper, with a gilt finish applied to the upper portion of the top stone and a lesser amount to the lower stone, based on the photos.  That is a very interesting ancient Egyptian-theme work! 

Thank you Robin! I've had this for a while and not given it enough attention. I was thinking 1920's also! Here's some closeup's.

[robinjojo]

Thanks for the enlargements.  Now I see another dragon/serpent instead of a scorpion, several notches up on the evolutionary scale!

Also, what I though was gilding is now yellow inclusions in the stones, in my opinion.

The piece might even be somewhat earlier, perhaps the first decade of the 20th century, after the discovery of Tutt's tomb.

Edited July 25 by robinjojo

[robinjojo]

Here are three thunderegg halves, quartz family.

Janos agate, lens thunderegg, El Berrendo, Janos Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico.

399.0 grams

 

Nowy Kosciol, Poland, thunderegg,  Kaczawskie Mountains.

171.6 grams 

 

Lone Hill thunderegg, San Jose, California, Santa Clara County.

Approximately 17.5 cm x 17.6 cm x 8.7 cm