Closeup Pictures, Rocks and Minerals Options

[Denise]

Dans been holding out on us! Check out this plume agate he found a few days ago.
This close up picture he took is of a few wet palm sized pieces he found. Love all the different colored plumes!
One piece not shown even has green plume.

[jim]

MAN! I wish that I could find stuff like that around here.

[jim]

I thought I'd add a few more pics that I took with my toy. The first is a tiny section of crazy lace agate. The second is brazilian agate. The third is the natural cleave lines in a piece of quartz. The fourth is rutilated quartz.Notice the rutilatation is hollow. I have had water sprayed in my face working it. The last is a spray formation in lace agate.

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[jim]

I decided to try to get a photo of the surface of this selenite crystal. I really had no hope in capturing it with it being water clear and very reflective too. But I got lucky!!!

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[Denise]

Here is a close up view of a piece of Turritella. Field of view is approx. 1 1/2" x 2".

[Denise]

What, you dont like that view?? How about if we cut it a different direction?

I left the image larger so you can click to see more detail.


Almost looks like little grains of sand inside the shells.
Like this view better?

[jim]

I think that it is sand in the little shells. I sometimes have problems with it coming out while working a piece. It really bums me out too. It leaves pits where it comes out. Otherwise turritella is one of my more favored stones to work. It almost always takes a great polish.

[swizz]

Those are incredible!
Me likes fossils.
Can't help but wonder what causes that sand grain effect, looks really cool enlarged.

[Denise]

Some have druzy centers in them like in the first picture. After doing a little more research though, Im not thinking its Turritella after all. Im thinking its probably Elimia Tenera that is commonly mistaken as Turritella.

Even better, this can be found in Colorado.

[Denise]

Those are incredible!
Me likes fossils.
Can't help but wonder what causes that sand grain effect, looks really cool enlarged.

I was wondering the same thing Swizz, so with a little more research I came up with this.......

"Digestive system of gastropods"

In most species, the stomach itself is a relatively simple sac, and is the main site of digestion. In many herbivores, however, the hind part of the oesophagus is enlarged to form a crop, which, in terrestrial pulmonates, may even replace the stomach entirely. In many aquatic herbivores, however, the stomach is adapted into a gizzard that helps to grind up the food. The gizzard may have a tough cuticle, or may be filled with abrasive sand grains.

Guess it is sand.

[swizz]

ohhhhh, that is really cool Denise. Very interesting info! From your pic the sand grains that they were stashing in their gizzards have a lot of reds and clears. I'll bet there's great diversity in gizzard contents with gastropods depending on their locale.
'Food' for thought.

[Denise]

Thats exactly what we were thinking also. With its location that could mean Garnets and Diamonds?!
Definately food for thought!

[Denise]

Here is a cool closeup of a piece of Microcline.

[Denise]

This one is a closeup of a druzy pocket inside an agate nodule.

[CP]

I like the last picture Denise, can I cut it now?
She's been hoardin' that piece since 06' and I'm not allowed to take any slices. She says I'll "ruin it"...but I keep tellin' her I'll just take a few off the back end. No worries honey.


Here's a pic close up of some local jasper recently found.