Post by Kris Rowe on Jan 8, 2013 18:36:47 GMT -8
Hi, rockhounds!
I'll start off this category with some photos from last year of the hard-to-find Panoche Hills "California" Poppy jasper. Hand-2-Mouth Mining has collected roughly 60 pounds of this colorful jasper in over 2 years, so it qualifies as "scarce," especially for the Panoche Hills.
Unlike the recent prolific finds of "3P" (Panoche Paisley Poppy) jasper at Area 54, PH California jasper has almost no agate, and lots of iron oxides. Hematite, in specular and massive metallic forms, often dominates, with lots of red hematite. It really "bleeds" when you cut it!
We can only assume that the bright green is from serpentine clays, and the poppy nature was a result of fractionization (localization of minerals under temperature and pressure) during deep subduction of sedimentary beds.
The small boulder these slabs came from was just over 3 pounds, and large for PH California poppy jasper. If you'd like some, drop us a line.
Of course, you can always come out to Area 54 and find some of your own!
Best regards,
Kris
I'll start off this category with some photos from last year of the hard-to-find Panoche Hills "California" Poppy jasper. Hand-2-Mouth Mining has collected roughly 60 pounds of this colorful jasper in over 2 years, so it qualifies as "scarce," especially for the Panoche Hills.
Unlike the recent prolific finds of "3P" (Panoche Paisley Poppy) jasper at Area 54, PH California jasper has almost no agate, and lots of iron oxides. Hematite, in specular and massive metallic forms, often dominates, with lots of red hematite. It really "bleeds" when you cut it!
We can only assume that the bright green is from serpentine clays, and the poppy nature was a result of fractionization (localization of minerals under temperature and pressure) during deep subduction of sedimentary beds.
The small boulder these slabs came from was just over 3 pounds, and large for PH California poppy jasper. If you'd like some, drop us a line.
Of course, you can always come out to Area 54 and find some of your own!
Best regards,
Kris
