We're in busy season (and hot season) so on a rare afternoon off two days ago I did the only sensible thing and donned a bathing suite to rockhound in the river. The property borders the John Day (If you've ever done the Burnt Ranch to Clarno Bridge float you went past these gravel bars) (it's an awesome float with great camping on BLM land along the river).
A series of gravel bars on bends in the river just past a locally-named 'Cathedral Rock' (not
the cathedral rock, just a local variety of big rock face; it's upriver and not pictured.)
Also a favorite local swimming hole and diving rocks.
The river height fluctuates a lot throughout the year. The water receded in orderly fashion this year, as sometimes the bars are covered in a fine brown silt but this time they seem pretty clean. The water was crystal clear too.
Petrified wood:
banded Agate
There's a lot of this on the gravel bars:
Banded chert:
A nice big breccated piece of chert:
Speaking of circular patterns in stones, almost looks like a fossil coral:
And this, which was terribly annoying to photograph because it was both very smooth and very shiny. Water does not like to stay on its surface. Consistently dried much faster than the other rocks, regardless of sun, shade, or having been kept shaded for a while. Looks better under water because that gets rid of the reflection off the stone's surface. I haven't done a hardness test. Fine grain, black, rusty veins throughout of a slightly softer material.
Had a great time splashing around! Been tied to a computer or phone ever since. Will have to go back down next day off, which is... next week sometime, maybe!
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Topic: Afternoon off, John Day River rock (Read 6309 times)