This weekend - Rock Hunting Plans

This weekend is supposed to be PERFECT for rock hunting!
Here is a photo I took of the area around Alcova Reservoir in Wyoming.
Its about a 2 1/2 hour drive from here.

There are fossils and some fantastic banded ironstone (tiger iron) in this area.
I hiked the dinosaur trail and got some great photos.

the area has a lot of bentonite deposits, where I have found the early beginnings of rocks becoming Septarian Nodules.  

Here is one of those stones I found.  The brown calcite in the cracks is very delicate and the rock can easily fall apart.   Perhaps if this stone laid beneath the ground for another 10-20 years, it would become a solid Septarian Nodule.

These are mostly found in Utah and I live near the Montana / Wyoming border, so I was suprised and delighted to find this here.

 

 Her is another I found.

 Here is a road cut exposure showing the various geological aspects of the area.

This shows Alcova Reservoir and one area that contains a lot of Bentonite Clay (the gray).  The water is a little cloudy on the edges due to the clay run-off.

Hiking on these clay hills is fun and can be challenging.

A large boulder there.

 

Another roadcut.  Note the various layers of rock and earth.  Many fossils have been found in this area, and the soil is loose, which makes for easy fossil hunting!

and then.............there is Castle Gardens.  Another favourite rock climbing / hunting place of mine, just over the Bighorn Mountains near Ten Sleep, Wyoming.  Check out the view!!!

I must learn more about the formation of crystals in stone and to understand the patterns and structures they contain.  I googled "patterns of crystals" in stones and found the term "spectroscopy".:

What is spectrocopy? Wikipedia says:

Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative energy as a function of its wavelength or frequency. Spectroscopic data is often represented by a spectrum, a plot of the response of interest as a function of wavelength or frequency.

Bronzite Wanna-bes?

I found this rock that has brown feathery crystals formed on it's surface.

The brown crystal pattern on the surface of this rock are different than those on the stone above it.  The crystal pattern in this stone here look like the pattern found in bronzite that I have seen.

This stone is green on surface and reverse side is copper brown.  These crystals are stick-like threads in random patterns.

 Here these rocks are all shown together.

They appear to be of the same basic type of rock, with varying degrees of color from light green to brown.

 

 

Pietersite and Bronzite

Here is a photo of a cabochon made from Pietersite.

 Here is a cabochon made of Bronzite.

It is very hard for me to tell the difference between Bronzite and Pietersite.  Bronzite does appear (to me) to contain mostly browns and golds though.

Here are the Pietersite beads I received today.  They contain some blues, reds, yellows and gold.  These are stunningly beautiful beads and rival the beauty of bronzite beads.

Here is a greyscale image of the same photo.  These photos do not clearly show the patterns of inclusions but give one a hint of them.

Somsak, a fellow blogger.com Blogger, wrote a terrific article about these stones here:

 http://changems.blogspot.com/2007/04/bronzite.html

Below is an exerpt from his blog which makes one want to learn more and more about these stones!!

 

"...bronzite is the result of weather & geological trauma with Iron & Silica, & that it is the middle sibling in a family of crystals called Pyroxenes. The older & younger stones are Hypersthene & Enstatite.  Hypersthene is the oldest known member of this group.  Hypersthene & Enstatite are Magnesium rich silicate (Quartz) crystals. They're found both in igneous (formed by lava or magma) rocks & on meteorites. Enstatite is a green stone called Chrome-Enstatite (referring to it's Chromium content). Some of the Magnesium in the Hypersthene is replaced by Iron which contributes to it's value as a gemstone. In some Hypersthenes, the Iron molecule divides itself into microscopic thin films of oxides & hydroxides. These zones form natural separations within the crystal's structure. When the crystal is cut & polished along these cleavage zones, they exhibit a metal schiller or cat's eye effect.  Both Enstatite & Hypersthene can also form translucent to transparent orthorhombic crystals. These are often faceted into brown, green & black gemstones.  Bronzite, the middle stone between these 2 gemstones is the result of the weathering of Enstatite & Hypersthene. As wind, rain & other elements break down the soft (but strong) crystals more & more of the Magnesium is replaced by Iron, Hematite & Goethite (Iron derivatives). The final result is a dark black, brown or greenish stone speckled & streaked with golden metallic patterns. Like Hypersthene, the finest Bronzite specimens will also exhibit the shimmering chatoyancy effect known as cats eye. However, even the more common pieces capture the eye with flashes from its metallic composition. Bronzite is also identified/classified as Ferroan Enstatite, though it is physically closer to Hypersthene."

Somsak's article also delves into the metaphysical aspects of Bronzite.  One excerpt says:

"Many live in a state of denial when it comes to the physical impact of emotional pain. Bronzite's high vibrations break through these types of blocks that are preventing you from healing. Be careful, this gemstone's intense nature forces many feelings to the surface. Once you start working with your Bronzite to heal this type of hurt, it will not allow you to turn back."

Somsak has written many other high quality articles with much wisdom and information about many gemstones.  Please check out his blog and articles!

http://changems.blogspot.com