# WHAT IS THIS???!!!!!!???!?!?



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

I have posted this before, I got some cool ideas of what this might be. I wanted to re post this to get some more opinions and ideas. When I found this, I was taking a walk at Richardson Grove State Park. Long story short, I saw a big ancient redwood tree with a tiny hole in the base of it, I felt like looking inside of it to see if there was any animal nest of some sort, instead I found this, a strange stone carving, I am thinking that this could be old, the tree was off the trail about 30 feet, so I don't think anybody walking from the trail could of tossed this in it. I am thinking that this could be from the native tribes that use to live there, such as the Sinkyone people, the Wailake people, and the kans'-cho-so-ring-I- be village.


----------



## sissyofone (Oct 6, 2013)

I dont know what it is, But it sure is cool..

(3) Sulcata Tortoises - Spunky, Shelly and Ms. Piggy.


----------



## bigred (Oct 6, 2013)

dont know either


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

I have shown this to many people, one person said that it could be a fishing weight...


----------



## Yvonne G (Oct 6, 2013)

I don't suppose there's any way to know for sure without having it tested. My gut instinct was to say it looks machine carved, hence not old.


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 6, 2013)

OHHHH MAN ....... I love stuff like this .... ok , first we need to determine what kind of stone it is ...( hard to do by the pictures) . Then we can start chasing some clues ..... I did find a link to the "people" you mention.....and you could be spot on. Again ...we need to identify the stone material "itself"

http://what-when-how.com/native-americans/wailaki-native-americans-of-california/


J~


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> OHHHH MAN ....... I love stuff like this .... ok , first we need to determine what kind of stone it is ...( hard to do by the pictures) . Then we can start chasing some clues ..... I did find a link to the "people" you mention.....and you could be spot on. Again ...we need to identify the stone material "itself"
> 
> http://what-when-how.com/native-americans/wailaki-native-americans-of-california/
> 
> ...


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 6, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> N2TORTS said:
> 
> 
> > OHHHH MAN ....... I love stuff like this .... ok , first we need to determine what kind of stone it is ...( hard to do by the pictures) . Then we can start chasing some clues ..... I did find a link to the "people" you mention.....and you could be spot on. Again ...we need to identify the stone material "itself"
> ...


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

Yes, it is cold when I pick it up, and when I scratch it with quartz, it shows io as white marks. What does that mean?


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 6, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> Yes, it is cold when I pick it up, and when I scratch it with quartz, it shows io as white marks. What does that mean?



does it scratch the item itself or is it the quartz dust your seeing ..?


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> sulcata101 said:
> 
> 
> > Yes, it is cold when I pick it up, and when I scratch it with quartz, it shows io as white marks. What does that mean?
> ...



Wow, I just noticed that its the quartz that is being scratched.


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 6, 2013)

Ahhh Haa.a.... were getting somewhere ... ok now grab some vinigar
Marble will effervesce ( bubble) in vinegar quartzite will not.


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

Here is a close up picture of the stone.








N2TORTS said:


> Ahhh Haa.a.... were getting somewhere ... ok now grab some vinigar
> Marble will effervesce ( bubble) in vinegar quartzite will not.



I don't have vinegar right now  will anything else work?


Wait! I found some! And it didn't bubble.


I have to go, I'll be back to talk about it tonight though.


----------



## Jabuticaba (Oct 6, 2013)

Hmmmm...Looks very interesting. Soapstone, maybe?

I have 2 ideas of what it could be: 1) It may be a modern netsuke bead or pendant that someone lost during a hike. 2) An ancient trade item from Poverty Point, Louisiana. The people from those cultures around the Mississippi did a lot of stone carving and travelled very long distances to trade. 

I recommend sending the pictures to your local university's archeology department.


May[TURTLE]
1.1.0 Hermannis: Darwin & Wallace
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket


----------



## Jacqui (Oct 6, 2013)

Boy am I learning a lot from JD today.


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

Jabuticaba said:


> Hmmmm...Looks very interesting. Soapstone, maybe?
> 
> I have 2 ideas of what it could be: 1) It may be a modern netsuke bead or pendant that someone lost during a hike. 2) An ancient trade item from Poverty Point, Louisiana. The people from those cultures around the Mississippi did a lot of stone carving and travelled very long distances to trade.
> 
> ...



Thanks!


I think it's on of these




http://www.lithiccastinglab.com/gallery-pages/2001aprilbeads.htm


----------



## Jabuticaba (Oct 6, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> Jabuticaba said:
> 
> 
> > Hmmmm...Looks very interesting. Soapstone, maybe?
> ...





Yep, those are the ones I had in mind. Hope you find its origins. 


May[TURTLE]
1.1.0 Hermannis: Darwin & Wallace
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 6, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> Ahhh Haa.a.... were getting somewhere ... ok now grab some vinigar
> Marble will effervesce ( bubble) in vinegar quartzite will not.



I don't have vinegar right now  will anything else work?


Wait! I found some! And it didn't bubble.


hydrochloric acid works too ..... ok no bubbles than it's not made of Marble.Marble fizzes with acid because it is composed of the mineral calcite (calcium carbonate - CaCO3) which reacts with acids to form the gas carbon dioxide and it is the release of the carbon dioxide gas (CO2) that causes the "fizzing" that is observed during the reaction.


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> N2TORTS said:
> 
> 
> > Ahhh Haa.a.... were getting somewhere ... ok now grab some vinigar
> ...


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 6, 2013)

Hummm... ok .. so maybe Soapstone,,,,eh?
Itâ€™s very soft for â€œstoneâ€ why we see carvings from it .On the hardness scale ( 1-10 ) it ranks a #1 while a diamond #10. It is also non-porous water can not penetrate it so it will not stain, like granite or marble. Another reason I was trying the marble test.... Its mostly made from magnetite, dolomite, chlorite, and talc. Alkalis and acids, which affect granite, marble, and slate, will not affect Soapstone.
Letâ€™s try to determine if the piece that you have in your collection is true Soapstone, scrape some material off from the bottom of the piece. If it is real Soapstone, these shavings will feel like talcum powder, slippery to the touch


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> Hummm... ok .. so maybe Soapstone,,,,eh?
> Itâ€™s very soft for â€œstoneâ€ why we see carvings from it .On the hardness scale ( 1-10 ) it ranks a #1 while a diamond #10. It is also non-porous water can not penetrate it so it will not stain, like granite or marble. Another reason I was trying the marble test.... Its mostly made from magnetite, dolomite, chlorite, and talc. Alkalis and acids, which affect granite, marble, and slate, will not affect Soapstone.
> Letâ€™s try to determine if the piece that you have in your collection is true Soapstone, scrape some material off from the bottom of the piece. If it is real Soapstone, these shavings will feel like talcum powder, slippery to the touch



It's too hard to scrap off, I think your right, I don't think it's soapstone... Any other suggestions?


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 6, 2013)

Ok ... I know this sounds crazy (I'll tell ya why later) .... but .. Take a needle and hold with some pliers ...Heat it up *RED HOT* see if you can push it thru the bottom of your piece.


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 6, 2013)

Ok, I'll do that tomorrow when I'm more awake and know what I'm doing. Lol


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 6, 2013)

Okie Dokie ... Good nite! .... this has been fun! 
Thank you !


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 7, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> Ok, I'll do that tomorrow when I'm more awake and know what I'm doing. Lol


Good Morning ...... Well.........? Try the hot needle trick ?


----------



## Nay (Oct 7, 2013)

I am anxiously awaiting response!!!


----------



## Elohi (Oct 7, 2013)

At first glance I thought it was just an artsy pendent. I know several people who wear similar things. But it is certainly an interesting find! I hope it's something really old!


Elohi(Earth)[TURTLE]


----------



## Jacqui (Oct 7, 2013)

Nay said:


> I am anxiously awaiting response!!!



Me too!


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 7, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> sulcata101 said:
> 
> 
> > Ok, I'll do that tomorrow when I'm more awake and know what I'm doing. Lol
> ...



Alright, sorry for the late response, it might take me a minute for me to get me supplies.


Again, so sorry for the late response, sorry for keeping yo guys waiting so long, and no, the needle did not go through it...


Any other experiments???


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 7, 2013)

Humming Jeopardy tune â€¦..v^v^ la la la la la la la


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 7, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> Humming Jeopardy tune â€¦..v^v^ la la la la la la la



LoL


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 7, 2013)

The reason I asked about the hot needle is I wanted to see if we are dealing with some kind of â€œResin Castâ€ they have come a long way in that field and some stuff made you would swear it was stoneâ€¦and in actuality itâ€™s a resin base product. The hot needle will melt/scar the resin â€¦.and if itâ€™s stone wonâ€™t do a thing â€¦..


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 7, 2013)

So that's good! It's sir king of organic material! Yay 




sulcata101 said:


> So that's good! It's sir king of organic material! Yay



I meant to say SOME KIND of organic material lol


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 7, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> So that's good! It's sir king of organic material! Yay
> 
> 
> 
> ...



ha ha ha .... must have been the fumes!


ok... so it did not burn ... like you said " we got organics thus far" 

Not sure how old you are but the rest of the old timers .. ya remember " Ellery Queen Show " This sorta reminds of it ... and supppaaa fun!


and no fizz with the vinger right ?... Im too lazy to scroll back in posts ... >heh<


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 7, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> sulcata101 said:
> 
> 
> > So that's good! It's sir king of organic material! Yay
> ...







Yah, I'm 13 by the way, so that's why I can only reply in the early morning and 4:00pm because of school, so yah. Any other suggestions of material?


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 7, 2013)

Hatâ€™s off to you â€¦ you are a very intelligent 13 yr old. What a joy to seeâ€¦â€¦young inquisitive minds at work â€¦ way cool! 
Ok back to work â€¦ maybe obsidian ? â€¦..Iâ€™m looking at some old and new references, let me keep digging .


and we might try another test......it also could be granite.... The term "granite" is used to cover a group of related stones, all of which have their origin deep in the earthâ€™s molten mantle as opposed to The marble family â€“ limestone, travertine, marble, onyx â€“ starts out as sediment â€“ animal skeletons and shells, plant matter, silt â€“ at the bottom of bodies of water. After millions of years this solidifies (lithifies) into stone. Because its main component is calcium, it can be affected by acids such as vinegar ....why we were trying our test.


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 7, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> Hatâ€™s off to you â€¦ you are a very intelligent 13 yr old. What a joy to seeâ€¦â€¦young inquisitive minds at work â€¦ way cool!
> Ok back to work â€¦ maybe obsidian ? â€¦..Iâ€™m looking at some old and new references, let me keep digging .
> 
> 
> and we might try another test......it also could be granite.... The term "granite" is used to cover a group of related stones, all of which have their origin deep in the earthâ€™s molten mantle as opposed to The marble family â€“ limestone, travertine, marble, onyx â€“ starts out as sediment â€“ animal skeletons and shells, plant matter, silt â€“ at the bottom of bodies of water. After millions of years this solidifies (lithifies) into stone. Because its main component is calcium, it can be affected by acids such as vinegar ....why we were trying our test.



That's awesome, I just studied chemistry last week and we talked exactly about how limestone was created! Anyway, how do we know if its granite? And thank you


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 7, 2013)

Granite, which is an igneous rock, contains quartz, which is very hard, hence the scratch test .. It can be carved butâ€¦â€¦â€¦Alabaster is famous as a milky white mineral that can be translucent if carved thin enough when held to the light, Now with our Soapstone it should have a smooth, greasy, silky, milky luster, naturally cold even at room temp, and it should scratch easy with a butter knifeâ€¦ ( I know I asked you all of this before â€¦just refreshing our memoriesâ€¦..us old timers have to do that .. Itâ€™s like re-booting the hard-drive ) Another guess is Alabasterâ€¦.There are two types of alabaster. One is gypsum, which is used today. The other is calcite, which was used in ancient times including by the Ancient Egyptians. 
Iâ€™m guessing some type of granite so far â€¦..and there are different colors -below examples and how they get that color induced.
White granites are rich in potassium. Combinations of mica and quartz result in gray. Pink contains sodium and calcium rich feldsparâ€¦â€¦â€¦..
If we are guessing marble most marbles have distinct veins, swirls or bands, but there are exceptionsâ€¦.but all marbles will have calcite and/or dolomite and will react with acid, vinegar and oh yea lemon juice â€¦ you might need your Mag glass to check .. But there will be tiny bubbles or fizz if you pour these liquids on marble..
Of course I have not left out Quartzite or Travertineâ€¦..but this we can check . Grab your magnifying glass â€¦.Check your sculpture dry with mag glass, does it have tiny pits , bubble pops ..?


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 7, 2013)

Nope, no bubbles whatsoever... Any other experiments??


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 7, 2013)

ok scratch marble off the list ....


and can you scratch it with a butter knife?


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 7, 2013)

No the butter knife wont scratch it, and I won't be able to reply to anything else until 4:00pm. This is so fun! Goodnight, and talk to you tomorrow!


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 7, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> No the butter knife wont scratch it, and I won't be able to reply to anything else until 4:00pm. This is so fun! Goodnight, and talk to you tomorrow!


Scrap Soapstone off the list!!
Ok good nite...study hard ...we shall continue!


----------



## Jabuticaba (Oct 8, 2013)

I must say that I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread. 


May[TURTLE]
1.1.0 Hermannis: Darwin & Wallace
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket


----------



## yagyujubei (Oct 8, 2013)

I think it very well could be an artifact. Find a indian artifact dealer somewhere in the area for ID. I would be very careful damaging or marking it until ID is made.


----------



## CourtneyG (Oct 8, 2013)

Be very careful who you tell about where you found it, it is illegal to take anything from state parks.


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 8, 2013)

CourtneyG said:


> Be very careful who you tell about where you found it, it is illegal to take anything from state parks.



Very good point, I will keep that in mind...


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 8, 2013)

yagyujubei said:


> I think it very well could be an artifact. Find a indian artifact dealer somewhere in the area for ID. I would be very careful damaging or marking it until ID is made.



Any archeology team /lab â€¦would do these exact same tests in the field if they had no high end equipment, such as a Mass Spectrometer or SEM . You find an inconspicuous spot on the item to perform these tests ( like the bottom) . It wont ruin the item . Plus the knowledge of what we are learning here out weighs the material item ( in this particular case) and what you may think itâ€™s value is.
If more of us got out of the house ....not work as much , no bills and less time in here ... you can go for walks and find 1,000's of these items....ya just need to know where to look-


"it is illegal to take anything from state parks."
Ironic isnâ€™t it ? â€¦..I mean since our tax money pays for them!â€¦Take all you want now they are shut down ! The Feds took the week off ... they feel they dont make enough money....â€¦HA HA HA ( Iâ€™m just being a smart A**)


----------



## mike taylor (Oct 8, 2013)

*Re: RE: WHAT IS THIS???!!!!!!???!?!?*



N2TORTS said:


> yagyujubei said:
> 
> 
> > I think it very well could be an artifact. Find a indian artifact dealer somewhere in the area for ID. I would be very careful damaging or marking it until ID is made.
> ...





I think thats not being a smart a.. it's the truth. 

Sent from my C771 using TortForum mobile app


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 8, 2013)

^5


----------



## CourtneyG (Oct 8, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> yagyujubei said:
> 
> 
> > I think it very well could be an artifact. Find a indian artifact dealer somewhere in the area for ID. I would be very careful damaging or marking it until ID is made.
> ...





Nope you are speaking the truth, if anyone one of us did just as bad of a job as them we would be fired, to bad we cannot fire them.


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 8, 2013)

v^v^tap ...v^v^tap ....either doing homework or not home from school yet...I found you a cool link of many stones from around the world and the people who use them in their cultures. Chime in when you have the time ..


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 8, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> v^v^tap ...v^v^tap ....either doing homework or not home from school yet...I found you a cool link of many stones from around the world and the people who use them in their cultures. Chime in when you have the time ..



Cool, I am going to be busy tonight... But I'll try to be back either at 9:00pm or tomorrow at 4:00
Right now it fine too.


----------



## AnnV (Oct 8, 2013)

So, JD, you're a geologist? 
Super interesting discussion so far!
I am a little tiny bit of a rock hound in that I have a mineral egg collection. I havent in quite some years, but I used to frequent mineral and gem shows. 
But I never knew the real difference between granite and marble. Excellent explanations! 

Ann from CT


----------



## Moozillion (Oct 8, 2013)

This thread is fun!


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 8, 2013)

AnnV said:


> So, JD, you're a geologist?
> Super interesting discussion so far!
> I am a little tiny bit of a rock hound in that I have a mineral egg collection. I havent in quite some years, but I used to frequent mineral and gem shows.
> But I never knew the real difference between granite and marble. Excellent explanations!
> ...



Actually my father is ( among many other things)that was his Major at San Diego State â€¦..and sure I took it in college too.
Iâ€™ve been blessed to have one of those â€œgenius scientistâ€ dadâ€™s ,who raised me as an only childâ€¦single father , so there were many times I accompanied him on his research expeditions. So it was natural to dabble in â€¦.funny as a young boy while my friends were collecting baseball cards and could tell you Stats of the San Diego Padres , I was collecting rocks and could identify every rock in the back yard â€¦.. Ha ha haâ€¦.


----------



## sibi (Oct 8, 2013)

Funny things we learn about each other here on the forum. I like to make metaphors with stones. The one I use the most is the Geo ?? Rock, you know, the rock that so dull and ugly on the outside, but is a beautiful gem inside. As a metaphor for people, it is a rarity indeed.


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 8, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> N2TORTS said:
> 
> 
> > v^v^tap ...v^v^tap ....either doing homework or not home from school yet...I found you a cool link of many stones from around the world and the people who use them in their cultures. Chime in when you have the time ..
> ...



I think we're dealing with a charmstone of some sort .. I've been diggin' and have some neat links for you when you return home from school. Heck you could make a nice presentation and final paper with all of this fun ...




sibi said:


> Funny things we learn about each other here on the forum. I like to make metaphors with stones. The one I use the most is the Geo ?? Rock, you know, the rock that so dull and ugly on the outside, but is a beautiful gem inside. As a metaphor for people, it is a rarity indeed.



sibi .... your right! 
and I know just the place to rockhound real desert geodesâ€¦â€¦


----------



## sibi (Oct 8, 2013)

Where?

Hey, JD, got a question for you. Africa have tons of precious stones i.e. Diamonds. As you know it took millions of years of pressure to form diamonds in the earth. Why do you think the US doesn't have these stones in their grounds despite their endless supplies of coal?


N2TORTS said:


> sulcata101 said:
> 
> 
> > N2TORTS said:
> ...


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 9, 2013)

Your right about not much if any diamond mining in the US at current. Most of this is due to environmental agencies ,politics and the cost effectiveness. The United States has no commercial diamond mines. The only significant diamond deposit in North America is Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It is on government-owned land and has never been systematically developed. For a small fee, tourists can dig there and try to find diamonds. Diamonds crystallize directly from rock melts rich in magnesium and saturated with carbon dioxide gas that has been subjected to high pressures and temperatures exceeding 2,559Â°F (1400Â°C). These rock melts originally came from deep in the Earth's mantle at depths of 93 miles (150 kilometers). 
Diamonds are minerals composed entirely of the element carbon, with an isometric crystalline structure. Diamonds have the highest thermal conductivity of any known substance. This property enables diamonds to be used in cutting tools, because they do not become hot.

For whatever reason, very few miners are looking for diamonds in the U.S. That is a real shame, because the U.S.A. sits on an extremely old massive Craton. Cratons are the earth's diamond making factories, 150-250 miles down. Millions of years ago, some very deep eruptions took place, bringing kimberlite lava flows to the surface of what is now the United States. These powerful eruptions brought tremendous amounts of kimberlite lava to the surface through "pipes" or carrot-shaped lava tubes.
Ok, nice history lesson, where are the diamonds?
Diamonds have been found in Canada quite recently. Why no news on U.S. mined diamonds?
After these diamond eruptions took place, a lot of time went by (100 to 125 million years). Mountains rose and fell, rivers formed, died, and reformed again. However, the real kicker was the dozen plus ice ages that repeatedly gripped the Northern hemisphere. When you have a semi-permanent, mile high wall of ice slowly pushing huge quantities of earth and gravel in front of it for centuries on end, you have to figure that the land is going to look very different after the ice finally melts.
Diamonds have been found in Canada because of these very glaciers that scrubbed the northern tundras clean, miles of what is primarily bare rock. There are placer diamonds there as well, but the real treasure is the kimberlite pipes that have sat there for millions of years. Untouched. Until now.
Do you know where they found the diamond bearing pipes? Under some small lakes. The glaciers scraped the land deep during their millennia of movement into the sea. Left behind were hollow recesses that filled with water and created many small lakes. A few of these lakes are the top of extinct volcanoes, and some of these volcanoes are diamond bearing kimberlite pipes. Obviously, not every lake is the top of an extinct volcano, but by and large that is where you will find most, but not all, kimberlite craters.
Going back to the ice ages and glaciers, there was something called the Laurentide Ice Sheet. An absolutely massive continent of ice that was miles high, and covered from the northern Arctic to Â¼ way into the United States from the North.
There have been a number of ice ages and glaciers covering our land, but the Laurentian ice sheets dramatically changed our continent forever. The point is that these ice sheets pushed massive quantities of rocks, earth, and sand over part of the southern bottom of the U.S. This earthy overburden covers a portion of the bottom 2/3 of the United States.
Some diamond bearing kimberlite pipes are under that glacial debris. To make our job easier, we can use rivers to expose some of the diamonds present in the U.S.A. However, rivers will only touch or cut through a very minor portion of diamond bearing kimberlite pipes. Depending where you start looking for diamonds, you could pan or sluice glacial tailing piles that are now part of the landscape. This is where river searching will pay off. I've looked back on the old gold prospectors' original findings, and I keep coming across small quartz-like stones they found in the black sand area of their sluice boxes. In the 1800's, no one knew what an uncut diamond looked like, so the miners simply threw them back in the stream or river, not knowing what they were. Most of these incidental findings were probably glacial diamonds pushed down from Canada and washed down some of the larger rivers and streams in the U.S. These stones are tough to catch in a sluice box or pan. They were only captured by accident by the original gold prospectors, probably with a poorly set up sluice with too little water flow.
Yes, you can extract these precious stones with a diamond sluice box. I'm almost finished the one I've been working on for some years now, but it all goes back to searching appropriate areas, taking samples at different depths, and finding nature's sweet spot for accumulation of diamonds.
The next great gold rush will be "the diamond rush," coming to the United States of America very soon.


For more info on diamonds checkout 
http://www.diamond-mining.com/diamondminingintheusa.html


----------



## sibi (Oct 9, 2013)

Wow, JD, that was so interesting! I just love reading about the earth's hidden treasures. I always knew there was more here in the U.S. I believe that because the U.S. is relatively a young country, nothing much had been done to mine diamonds. It's so exiting to know there are gems here and we're just sitting on it. 
You said you're working on a raw diamond for years?


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 9, 2013)

quote from article ...but yes both pops and I gold mine and diamond mine as a hobby for fun . We have an old Army trailer we have converted into a "field operating mining station"....that includes- Dredger, crushers , sluice boxes, and vibrating tables . Equipped with it's own generators for power source. We can tow behind either of our trucks and have a great day .....of mining fun!


----------



## Jacqui (Oct 9, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> The only significant diamond deposit in North America is Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It is on government-owned land and has never been systematically developed. For a small fee, tourists can dig there and try to find diamonds.



Been there and done that, but didn't find anything.


----------



## Elohi (Oct 9, 2013)

I'm a rockdork so I have watching this thread. You speak my language when you start naming minerals, crystalline structure, and geologic processes. 


Elohi(Earth)[TURTLE]


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 9, 2013)

ha ha ha ... " rockdork" ... I love it ! ........


I'm just plain weird! ....




Jacqui said:


> N2TORTS said:
> 
> 
> > The only significant diamond deposit in North America is Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It is on government-owned land and has never been systematically developed. For a small fee, tourists can dig there and try to find diamonds.
> ...



ya gotta' take them beer goggles off! ......


today's cool ... Earth Nerd Article

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/08/bolivia-archeologists-lake-titicaca_n_4066670.html


----------



## Millerlite (Oct 9, 2013)

Jacqui said:


> N2TORTS said:
> 
> 
> > The only significant diamond deposit in North America is Crater of Diamonds State Park near Murfreesboro, Arkansas. It is on government-owned land and has never been systematically developed. For a small fee, tourists can dig there and try to find diamonds.
> ...



Haha, I can see you finding an old artifact then, skipping it across the lake, then cracking another beer haha. Sounds like a fun day tho. Nothing like being out of the house and doing something, anything

Kyle 


Check out my site and channel:
Www.tortoise-spot.webs.com
Www.youtube.com/tortoisespot


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 9, 2013)

So ... I scrounged through the garage today since we have been talking about rocks and found these old sample boxes ...just about every rock and mineral types you can name. All of these are crushed to a very fine powder, for running various tests , using instruments such as the Scanning Electron Micro Scope and the Mass Spectrometer. 





The one on the right is *Hornblende- A green to black amphibolic mineral, CaNa(Mg,Fe)4(Al,Fe,Ti)3Si6O22(OH,F)2, formed in the late stages of cooling in igneous rock.


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 9, 2013)

I'M BACK!!! I'm ok to talk, although I am loaded with homework, so I will be going back and forth with this and homework. Any more experiments???


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 9, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> I'M BACK!!! I'm ok to talk, although I am loaded with homework, so I will be going back and forth with this and homework. Any more experiments???



ok... here is a link for you....to try a little research yourself. 
http://www.horsekeeping.com/jewelry/stones2.htm

also .. research Keyword: . Ca. Native Charmstones

JD~


----------



## Cowboy_Ken (Oct 9, 2013)

So what I'm getting here from you â€œdirt scientists" is that Crater Lake, Oregon could be a diamond mine. Is that about right? 


Cowboy Ken

6 Sulcatas
8 Russians
2 Pancakes
1 Uro
7 Cats
1 Syko Dog
1 Wonderful Wife


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 9, 2013)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> So what I'm getting here from you â€œdirt scientists" is that Crater Lake, Oregon could be a diamond mine. Is that about right?
> 
> 
> Cowboy Ken
> ...


"Crater Lake is a caldera, the remains of an ancient Pleistocene volcano named Mt. Mazama. The caldera was formed when Mt. Mazama violently erupted some 7600 years ago, causing the entire top of the mountain to fall in on its self. Once it collapsed and sealed, snow melt and rain filled the caldera, and formed what we know now as Crater Lake"
Ken ... I bet down below the lake bed itself.... yes ~
more info and geology here .....http://lpc1.clpccd.cc.ca.us/lpc/hanna/craterlake/crater.htm


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 10, 2013)

Any more tests???


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 14, 2013)

I'm free all of today! I am ready to do some more experiments!


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 16, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> sulcata101 said:
> 
> 
> > I'M BACK!!! I'm ok to talk, although I am loaded with homework, so I will be going back and forth with this and homework. Any more experiments???
> ...



I looked at that, I think it could possibly be that...


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 16, 2013)

possibly made from Onyxâ€¦..


----------



## Millerlite (Oct 16, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> So ... I scrounged through the garage today since we have been talking about rocks and found these old sample boxes ...just about every rock and mineral types you can name. All of these are crushed to a very fine powder, for running various tests , using instruments such as the Scanning Electron Micro Scope and the Mass Spectrometer.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Where do you have all these lab equipment? You own a scanning electron microscope??


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 25, 2013)

Are we still doing this??


----------



## N2TORTS (Oct 25, 2013)

sulcata101 said:


> Are we still doing this??



lol.... you mean .. are you still researching this? ~
Your teacher called and said ... " no cheating" ..

How about a couple of new pictures...




Millerlite said:


> Where do you have all these lab equipment? You own a scanning electron microscope??



Actually pop's does ......I think a Mass spec too! .. and of all places in his garage...


----------



## T33's Torts (Oct 25, 2013)

I think it might be a fancy collectable-type pendant. I have one that's sandstone, I use it to make my bag different from other peoples... its pretty cool! I'd keep it


----------



## sulcata101 (Oct 26, 2013)

N2TORTS said:


> sulcata101 said:
> 
> 
> > Are we still doing this??
> ...

















Oh, ok  I thought everyone just forgot about it  here are some more pictures.


----------



## sulcata101 (Dec 10, 2013)

NEW FINDINGS!!!!!
So, I went back to Richardson Grove State Park, to the exact tree that I found this in

and I took a picture of it.

I also took a far away picture of it.

any suggestions on how old this tree might be?
Also, in a completely new campsite in Richardson Grove, I found this and took a picture of where I found it.



although, one corner was chipped off when I found it. 
So any comments??


----------

