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Let's Rock => Rockhounding Tips, Maps, Trips Etc. => Topic started by: Kaljaia on February 17, 2019, 06:09:11 PM

Title: Petrified Forest
Post by: Kaljaia on February 17, 2019, 06:09:11 PM

not that one.

Went back into the palisades today, on a chilly and overcast but relatively nice day. It's a few days past the last snow, so the bentonite was get-your-boots-dirty muddy, not gateway-to-the-underworld muddy.
Line of palisades cliffs, all volcanic ash / mudflow in origin. They've weathered down to some nice hoodoos.
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/43478351800eef228a19f7bdfd18f728/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo1_1280.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/296ff7a5e69ce15dffa5db97d2eca120/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo3_1280.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/36d227c5e0d0f49ca263bc05141035cb/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo4_1280.jpg)

Lots of red, tan and black petrified wood from this area. Not all of it is solid, but it looks like it might cut and polish better than some I've found. There's a good amount of really big trunks back in here, much bigger than I can move. It's on BLM, so not going to go muck around with my ATV on the soft dirt. It's enclosed by private property, but we're all still trying to treat it as a miniature national park, a little rockhounding aside, and make sure it stays pretty pristine. I'm sure I've posted pictures of this place before in better light, today it was a heavy dark overcast and snowed for a bit.
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/307e1aadb693f155f86dafd660e37883/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo2_1280.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/b70be5c2d7188c432e0e8a43879fa516/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo5_1280.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/b75fc70390c610b6f8a36b425318a4e0/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo6_1280.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/718e52a759e9b6f8b26be5f01452e569/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo7_1280.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/979ee0e6198fef03516fa3fdd7024983/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo8_1280.jpg)
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/bfd2150d5cbaec9049b4f68992e3b417/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo9_1280.jpg)

A bentonite pit at the bottom of the valley kicks up these brick-red jasper nodules. They have a thin opal skin on them, both common and clear opal. Some of the jasper is orb and plume, and some solid red, I haven't done a ton with the nodules yet but bright red jasper actually isn't that common out here... so saving them for when a mosaic project calls for it.
(https://66.media.tumblr.com/60521a5727e975541267edf7ac02653f/tumblr_pn3mvzScMt1vg3vluo10_1280.jpg)

Title: Re: Petrified Forest
Post by: Stonemon on February 17, 2019, 07:32:34 PM

Thanks for the tour Erika.
Snow over here on the river. Bad hounding weather.

Title: Re: Petrified Forest
Post by: lithicbeads on February 18, 2019, 09:56:36 AM

Nice post and superb description of bentonite.

Title: Re: Petrified Forest
Post by: Ryaly2dogs on February 18, 2019, 11:00:23 AM

Love the photos, the next best thing to being there!

Title: Re: Petrified Forest
Post by: AveIArts on February 18, 2019, 11:51:13 AM

Such beautiful land! All the specimens look good to me! The reds are Jasper? Do they cut well? Just wondering....I'm pretty new to all this kind of stuff.