We have a discoverer in our midst folks! With over 2 decades of field experience in prospecting/mining across several different mineral and gem arenas including diamonds, gold, etc. We are all very lucky to not only have his personal participation and knowledge shared here, but we are also able to see first hand what new discoveries can produce!
This is a very rare treat these days in my honest opinion. My grandfather was one of the men who discovered jade in Wyoming (mid 1930's) and I wish very much I would have had known him better and his personal experiences/history of discovery times!

So lets get on with the information (there will be lots)
Johnny (Astrobleme) through many exhausting hours of work I'm sure, discovered an ancient crater formation here in Colorado around Gunnison. Now named the Gunnison crater, and has produced some very interesting tektites. Being part of Johnny's discovery I would imagine they helped prove out his crater theroy. (feel free to correct me if wrong Johnny) Tektite origin itself has been quite a discussion over years past and still is, but they are very very "dry" rocks. The pressure and heat that creates them are mind boggling!

Here is a link to the Gunnison Country Times article / news release.

Recently Johnny was looking for lapidary artists to work some tektites and we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to work some into cabochons and jewelry. We are very happy to say that we (Denise and myself) got to be the first lapidary artists to work any of these tektites.
While I was cutting the slices to use for cabochons I noticed there were some metal inclusions which Johnny later examined under magnification and...........well I'll let him tell you about the possible new information found. It's very exciting!

Here are a few pics to go along with this thread which I'm sure will be one to keep up on for the future!
These 2 pics (courtesy of Johnny) show arial views of the crater.

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This is a pic of some rough pieces you all may recognize from the "what's this #28" thread.
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After getting his cabochons in hand he could examine them a bit more closely and sent us these 2 pics too share with everyone.
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All this hypervelocity impact discussion has my mind goin' for sure!!

More pics of the finished pieces made from these to follow.........
CP

Great stuff. these are my favorite type of threads to read. good job Mr. Tonko on all the research and the discovery. I know you will post some info when you get a chance. Thats very cool, Dan, that you got to work with the stuff. keep us informed

Hello Everyone:

Way back when, as a teenager, my family drove across the area practically every weekend during the summer in order to get to our favorite fishing hole on the Gunnison River. I never gave the odd granite outcrops that stood out from the surrounding volcanic terrain much thought until it started looking good for diamond prospecting a few years ago.

Here's a photo of an exposed granite outcrop on the northeast side of the remaining crater. I've added in the hand drawing with matching lines just to draw attention to the orientation of the displacement fractures as they are visible today. Tremendous pressures were needed to crack and shift the granite into the perfectly circular rim that measure 5 miles across.

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The rim stands out starkly against the southern view from the City of Gunnison. I took this photo below of the crater rim from the highway near the Gunnison airport. You can see how the road turns left far off in the distance as it starts to curve around the remnant rim.

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Once I started finding geologic evidence of impact, I reviewed as much reference material as I could. I was shocked to learn that there never had been anyone looking at impact as the possible cause for the multiple ring dike structure known locally as Hartman Rocks. Several geologists had studied that area over the years and written various papers that suggested volcanic activity or plate tectonic deformation as the cause. My sampling indicated clearly it was formed by hyper-velocity impact but my theory was not well accepted at first.

Of course, I quickly staked mining claims and filed them with the Gunnison County Clerk and Recorder along with the BLM Colorado State Office in order to protect my interests in the gem quality tektite discovery. Under advice from the company's attorney, we subsequently filed for a registered trademark to futher protect the tektite find.

When I recently provided rough specimens to CP, the ones sent were only low grade in order to "experiment" to see if they would even be workable. CP has done an outstanding job on the first run with that poor material. It amazed me to see what they had done with rock that wasn't too pleasant to look at. I would highly recommend them for lapidary/jewelry work.

It was Dan and Denise that first noticed the metal in matrix. They certainly deserve credit for that discovery. Until they had cut into the material with the diamond saw, it had remained hidden from view. The metal is small fragments of the impactor that were sealed in the tektite/matrix when the debris cloud settled back into the crater. Being so dry and impervious, the tektite provided a safe environment to preserve the metal grains. Meteorites usually waste away through rusting and would not be expected to survive for nearly 1/3 of a billion years. I was surprised to hear from CP about the metal grains and I am still very excited about discovering what their composition is.

Sincerely,

ASTROBLEME

Fantastic info Johnny! Colorado definately has some amazing history behind it.
Its a great place to be.



Thanks for the compliments Johnny, and the opportunity to work that amazing material!
So far sculpting the smallest piece (#5 pictured above) has been going very good! The hardness combination is a bit tricky to work, but I love the challenge....hehe
Working the "low grade" material was definately something to remember, especially knowing the history behind it.
Thanks again, and keep that great Gunnison Crater Tektite info coming.

Here is a closeup picture of a piece of Gunnison Crater Tektite.
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Great info once again. Good find on the metal fragments CP's!

A very interesting read. Please continue! Jim

Hello Everyone:

I would like to tell the story of my discovery of Gunnison Crater as this post progresses. Please understand that I sincerely want to do this not in order to brag or sell anything, but rather I feel that I owe something back to all those hard working, brave and hearty souls that went before me and to all those young, vibrant and excited souls prospecting after me far into the future. It is very important for everyone that loves prospecting to learn from others when given the chance. I thank all those that have helped me along with the pursuit of my passion for prospecting. Passing knowledge along is so very important! This Forum is such a valuable resource and I’m sure others will agree that they would have benefitted from having something like this available when they started out prospecting for their first time.

As I'm sure everyone has heard a time or two, "HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF". While I can attest to this fact by personal experiences from several occasions, I am by no means the only witness to the phenomenon. Before I get into the details of my discovery of the Gunnison Crater, please take some time to read through the link I've posted below. There isn't anyone alive that can relate better to Daniel Moreau Barringer and understand his personal struggles more than I. Perhaps you can learn something from his history and my story that will follow. I believe that our stories are still pertinent with respect to prospecting overall, not just in the instance of meteorites or craters.

http://www.barringercrater.com/adventure/

Sincerely,

ASTROBLEME

Two thumbs up Johnny ........thank you!
Good read the Barringer article/story too.
I'm very much looking forward to more of your story as this progresses in time. Having actual impactor material from millions of years ago encased in the super dry tektite formation......WOW!! What stories could those metal fragments tell?

Hello Everyone:

The New Year is underway and I hope everyone is safe and warm this winter.

I am now finalizing arrangements to have the composition of the metallic fragments that are trapped in the melt matrix determined. The high resolution accuracy of the data needed dictates which laboratory has the equipment and personnel expertise to perform the testing in order to get the job done properly. Please understand that this is a privately funded research effort but once the data is in, I'd be willing to share it with any of you that are interested.

Sincerely,

Johnny F. Tonko
President
Tonko Mining Company, Inc.
http://www.meteoritecrater.com/

Very cool news Johnny and I for one am very much looking forward to those results and what will be learned from them.
I had found an article with a study about pressure's and what kind this event could create but now I'm not able to find it again...... But if I remember the numbers right it was somewhere between 100 or 1000 times the pressure created at ground zero of a nuclear blast! I'll keep looking for that article.
The pressure and heat that is instantly created can actually vaporize rock and dry out any H2O with the material!

So the tektites pictured in this thread were involved within the actual impact crater itself and or the immediate fall back rim formation correct?

Can't wait to hear/read some more.

CP

Of course we are interested in it Mr. Tonko. I like this step-by-step way of things. It keeps us very informed. thanks

Dear CP:

You are correct in your understanding that these tektites were trapped by "fall back" of the excavated rock back into the crater after impact. The tektite is preserved within pieces of impact melt rock and the metallic fragments appear to be found only within the melt rather than inside the tektite.

Due to the ancient age of the Gunnison Crater, everything outside the remnant rim exposures is eroded away. I haven't yet been able to locate any impact melt rock or tektite occurring outside of the crater.

Sincerely,

ASTROBLEME

I arrived a bit late into the fascinating story of the Gunnison Crater. I really appreciate and enjoy the privelige of looking over your should as you progress in unraveling the pertinent facts Astrobleme.

Thanks to you and the CP's for a riveting tale.

faaus

You are very welcome Faaus and a big thanks to Johnny for providing us with his insight and story about the discovery and proving it to the rest of the world.

For those reading along in this thread, I had promised to keep an eye out for info about pressures/temps that are generated during one of these hypervelocity events. So far I've been able to find this on megatons in tnt as to explosive events as a comparison. Still not the same study I found previously but this gives you an idea of the power involved when an impact occurs.



Back to the search for the previous article.
CP

HOT OFF THE PRESS!

I just found this book today as I was passing by the new release section. The picture of an impact event on the cover caught my eye and I picked it up. Having only made it through the first chapter this morning, I can already say that this is a must read for anyone that wants to understand more about the laws of nature.

The COSMIC CONNECTION: How Astronomical Events Impact Life On Earth
By Jeff Kanipe
Published 2009 by Prometheus Books
ISBN 978-1-59102-667-9

ASTROBLEME

SPECIMENS WANTED

Please take a look at the "Research" page on my website as I am looking to acquire additional specimens of breccias from impacts along the chain of craters that I've discovered associated with the Gunnison Crater here in Colorado. If you or your friends are prospecting any of the crater sites along the Tonko Lineament, please look for a rock specimen that is similar to these below;

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If you collect breccias similar to these, please let me know.

Sincerely,

ASTROBLEME

Thanks for the book recomendation Johnny, sounds like a good one.

For everyone who might have a chance to find, or found already, breccias like Johnny's looking for, here is a pic from his website showing the lineament
www.meteoritecrater.com research page - Tonko Lineament
Wow, that's quite ong ways, what an event this must have been! If you are close to these sites, keep an eye out. And as always, make sure you have permission to access that land if needed.

And to continue with some more samples...... a couple more pics from the rough specimens begining this thread.
First a view of rough slices

Lighter matrix and impact glass
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Darker matrix and impact glass
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Polishing did prove a tad difficult but in the end turned out nicely.
Finished cabs.......lighter material
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And some finished cabs from the darker material including a heart pendant carving that turned out very nicely. Good work Denise!
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Several of the wraps done also......
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Thats some awesome loking stuff CP. Well done.

Wow Dan your works looking really good. Great imagination on the the different styles.

I am very pleased with the work that CP was able to complete on my custom order. Those raw specimens were basically used as an "experiment" to see if the matrix would hold together. They were able to turn a very low grade sample into a work of art.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND CP FOR LAPIDARY AND JEWERLY WORK.

Sincerely,

Johnny Tonko
President
Tonko Mining Company, Inc.

Thank you very much everyone!

We couldn't be more proud to have the opportunity of being the first lapidary artist to work in the Gunnison Crater Tektites.
Thank you Johnny, and we are all very much looking forward to hearing more details about the finding, proving and now inclusions within them too.


CP

Here is another Gunnison crater tektite pendant just finished for Johnny and will be headin' home soon.
Nice one Denise! an Orca or a dolphin. what do you see?


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I think I see another family heirloom.

THANKS CP!

Awesome Johnny,

Hopefully it's arrived home safely by now but if not then it should be Monday.

You're very welcome and thank you! As I said earlier, we are very honored to be the first lapidary artisans who worked the Gunnison crater tektites.

CP

That's just more proof that Dan and Denise can do anything...beautifully!

Thank you Faaus. Very kind of you to say that.

CP

We've received it and everyone that’s seen it have called it a dolphin… or a whale.

I was very intersted in looking over the polished gem for metal. The stereo scope revealed that there is LOTs of metallic fragment in this piece!

Thank you both for all your work.

ASTROBLEME

Very cool Johnny! You are so very welcome. We thought we saw some metallic pockets in that one too , can't wait to hear about what's found in the inclusions. Possibly indicating origins of the impactor and more proof of the Tonko lineament?

Keep us posted on those details as they become available Johnny, very interesting information/finds.

CP

Thank you Johnny! It was definately my pleasure being able to see and work this material in hand.
I have to admit that I love making hearts, but the Gunnison Crater Tektite heart has by far been my favorite!!

We have added Gunnison Crater Tektites to the "Colorado Gems and Minerals" section of the website for others to learn about. Enjoy!


Denise

The energy that is released during a cratering event is awesome. Here is a photo of the north east rim that depicts the faulting and fracturing of the hard granite from the impact shock waves.

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Excellent photo Astrobleme! It can definitely be seen with the angle of that photo. Is that one you took of the Colorado Gunnison Crater?

Hi Mrs. CP,

Yes, that is an old photo I took and updated with the overlay that shows how the faulting occurs during a crater event. Here is a Google Earth view looking towards the city of Gunnison that shows the location of the faulted rock rim remnant.

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Also, to get a perspective on the crater size, here is the crater rim trace as seen from above.

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