Lapidaryforum.net
Let's Rock => Rockhounding Tips, Maps, Trips Etc. => Topic started by: lithicbeads on May 27, 2020, 07:56:27 PM
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Dunite ( olivine) is popular with carvers out this way as it is fairly soft , maybe a 4.5 mohs and available. We have one of the biggest pieces of dunite in the world here in Washington the Twin Sisters Range.The peaks are quite spectacular and the rock an other worldly orange. The stream pictured is one of several in Western Washington that has huge amounts of dunite boulders in their canyons. Dunite is not found in situ in this drainage , all the boulders were transported by glaciers. This canyon is actually sandstone on the left and phyllite on the right but all is covered in dunite boulders. The biggest dunite boulder I have seen in this stream was over a hundred feet square and it blocked the canyon until the stream wore a path through it. The little piece of dunite shows the orange brown weathering rind and the pale green interior. It is typical. Black chromite veins are common in widely dispersed spots and vivid green uvaroite garnet veins are found in the boulders but in possibly one out of 10000 boulders.
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Lithic,
Thanks for the very good informative post. I didn't realize Dunite had the capacity to be valued by lapidaries.
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I like it for beads as well as bowls.