Lapidaryforum.net
Let's Rock => Rockhounding Tips, Maps, Trips Etc. => Topic started by: wampidy on February 16, 2015, 06:26:11 AM
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Went hounding Saturday to the upper end of Yellowtail Dam at the confluence of the Big Horn and Shoshone Rivers. The Big Horn is coming in from the left (Greybull, Basin Wyoming) and the Shoshone is coming in from straight out which is west. (Cody, Powell, Lovell Wyoming)
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150013.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150013.jpg.html)
Looking south up the Big horn Valley which extends somewhere around a third of the way into Wyoming. The big floods we had a few years ago put water over this road which is four to five hundred yards across. They didn't make the gap quite wide enough for this huge drainage area.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150009.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150009.jpg.html)
East toward the lower end of the Big Horn Mountains.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150011.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150011.jpg.html)
This is looking north into the Big Horn Canyon (very impressive) and the Pryor Mountains (dryhead agate country) a short distance away.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150023.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150023.jpg.html)
Some photos of the Big Horn Canyon which is 71 miles long and ending at Yellowtail dam in Montana.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/big%20horn%20canyon.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/big%20horn%20canyon.jpg.html)
Arial photos of the canyon.
https://images.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search;_ylt=A0LEVj1G6eFUv0IAPNQnnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTB0dmRibmhwBHNlYwNzYwRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkA1lIUzAwMV8x?_adv_prop=image&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&va=bighorn+canyon&hspart=mozilla&hsimp=yhs-001
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/map-Bighorn-Canyon-National-Recreation-Area-montana.png) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/map-Bighorn-Canyon-National-Recreation-Area-montana.png.html)
Down to the nitty gritty rock overload. The Big Horn Valley was filled, I don't know how deep, from three sides. River wash from the east and west, Yellowstone Park ash from the west and glacial push from the north. Here is 50 feet of proof.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150020.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150020.jpg.html)
Huge slabs of sandstone much larger than this one came with all the other rock.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150027.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150027.jpg.html)
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150026.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150026.jpg.html)
Trees came also. This one was not buried deep enough so it was not well preserved and breaks up easily.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150024.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150024.jpg.html)
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150025.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150025.jpg.html)
This is what 99.9999 percent (not a positive count) of the rock amounts to. Several different shades of ?limestone? pink, green and tan, lots of tan.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150016.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150016.jpg.html)
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150018.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150018.jpg.html)
What I call wanna be agate. Meh on the inside.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150014.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150014.jpg.html)
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4150015.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4150015.jpg.html)
What I brought home.
Top left: green and pink probably leaverite. A guy fishing there told me that there is tons of it up on the mountain. To be continued.
Top center: Montana agate, meh
Top right: a pretty tight grained something. To be continued.
Center: a little tumble ball of ?granite
Bottom left: some kind of quartz that I am going to use for sore muscles, Heat and lay on.
Two bottom right: wampidy sunrise probably too fractured to use for anything. Take home leaverite.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/Wyoming/P4160002.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/Wyoming/P4160002.jpg.html)
I was antsy and left too early and by the time it warmed up my back was hurting too bad to continue. All in all the geology was better than the rocks. If the Montana sliced thin has an iris effect (very close to zero percent chance) it would be a worthwhile trip. Other than that I got out of the cave for a while which counts for something.
If you are still here I hope you enjoyed the show. More of this is what I was looking for.
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/slabs/P83100062.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/slabs/P83100062.jpg.html)
(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h375/wampidy/slabs/P8310012.jpg) (http://s1106.photobucket.com/user/wampidy/media/slabs/P8310012.jpg.html)
Jim
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I loved the show! I'm surprised it's not still all under snow right now! :thumbsup:
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Thanks for the trip Jim; it looks like I got two for one; my own and yours :) here's what I left by the river; should have packed it out:( haven't got pics of the varoiolite I found yet.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2FH4P8Dzgsc/VOFvXaLH_bI/AAAAAAAAQM4/UOmzIokytH0/w950-h713-no/IMG_20150215_124648.jpg)
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I loved the rim country when I was there last year. The geology in that area is quite monolithic compared to the coast with your huge amount of volcanics and limestone predominating. Very old precambrian gneiss is a favorite stop of mine in the Beartooths just to see the giant pegmatites if they are melted out and a similar gneiss is also in the bottom of Bighorn canyon in spots and is popular with rock climbers. Wyoming and Montana are just on a different scale with collectibles widely spread as you well know.I hope your back cleared up . Just think spring is only how many months away?
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Got to agree that that stone in the river is a looker. Lots of geology going on in that very photogenic package.
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Man I would have packed that one out too, even if it only amounted to a yard rock, it's gorgeous! :icon_sunny:
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If that's what you left by the river, I can't wait to see what you decided was worth packing out.
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Great show Jim, your area just says ooohhh nice rock that should come home with me :smiley:
Lloyd killer pce you going back for it ?
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Thanks for the trip Jim; it looks like I got two for one; my own and yours :) here's what I left by the river; should have packed it out:( haven't got pics of the varoiolite I found yet.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-2FH4P8Dzgsc/VOFvXaLH_bI/AAAAAAAAQM4/UOmzIokytH0/w950-h713-no/IMG_20150215_124648.jpg)
I want that rock. I struck out so you owe it to me. Think of all the time I put into the geology lesson I just gave. Has to equal you going back to get that rock for me. Okay, maybe not but it sure is a beauty.
Jim
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i have some of that from out mining claims on Blewett pass, not quite as spectacular but its the same stuff.
(http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r5/washingtonfishingfools/Rocks%20i%20find/jade1_zps25f437cb.jpg)
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I have a bad ass hand truck!!
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Pretty scenery, I appreciate your having taken the time to share that with us. :)
May you find the rock you are looking for.