Tag: Deep Pit

Rock & Gem Magazine October 2020: "Captivating Find At The Carver Agate Field" reviewed

Rock & Gem Magazine October 2020: “Captivating Find At The Carver Agate Field” reviewed

In October 2020, Rock & Gem Magazine published an article, “Captivating Find At the Carver Agate Field,” by John Carver and Bill Halepeska. The article as published by Rock & Gem is an abridged, edited version of the original work submitted to Rock & Gem by Carver and Halepeska. The Rock & Gem article in its summary captioned “Authors’ Opinions” incorrectly states that Bill and I came to different geological conclusions. The fact is just the opposite. We collaborated extensively and reached consensus that the ‘deep pit’ nodules and geodes formed in and then weathered out of gas bubbles formed in lava before hardening. Since these nodules and geodes are only in one small area of the ‘deep pit’, we do not believe that they were formed where found, nor weathered out in their current location. We both believe they were formed elsewhere (in the Paisano volcano, several miles to […]

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7+ Pound Banded Blue Agate with Geological Oddity Found Inside

7+ Pound Banded Blue Agate with Geological Oddity Found Inside

The ‘deep pit’ on The Carver agate field ‘popped’ a 7+ pound,  6 1/2″ x  3 3/4″ banded blue agate beauty! While the ‘deep pit’ photo gallery on this website has lots of photos of ‘deep pit’ beauties, this specimen contains a large yellow inclusion (on the left side of the photo below) which has a blackish dendritic agate formation in and on its surface. A dendritic agate is a tree-like or fern-like image.  The word dendrite is Greek for “tree-like.”  Normally, these dendritic formations from The Carver have formed on the outside surfaces of a geode or nodule, as shown below in photo 2849.  What is geologically odd is that this dendrite formed on the yellow material which broke off and fell into the gas bubble pocket, which was then encased inside the larger blue agate when it later formed. I believe this was likely an 8-step geological process, […]

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YouTube Video: Rock Cutting and Polishing!

YouTube Video: Rock Cutting and Polishing!

I recently posted 7 new picture galleries of over 100 rocks from the ‘deep pit’ found on The Carver. The ‘Deep Pit Agate, Amethyst, Smoky Quartz Geode Gallery’ is divided into 7 separate galleries: 1:  Geodes and Nodules before Cutting 2:  Amethyst Geodes 3:  Citrine Geodes 4:  Banded Blue and Gray Agates and Geodes 5:  Smoky Quartz Geodes 6:  Calcite Geodes 7:  Miscellaneous  These galleries display cut and polished specimens from the ‘deep pit’ and reflect over a year’s worth of work. My YouTube video shows this week’s find of over 15  pounds of new ‘deep pit’ agates and geodes and demonstrates how I cut and polish them in my shop. Be sure to enlarge the video screen for better viewing. Enjoy!     The rock I am holding here is a deep pit agate.

NEW: "Deep Pit" Amethyst Smoky Quartz Galleries

NEW: “Deep Pit” Amethyst Smoky Quartz Galleries

A 2018 discovery on ‘The Carver agate field’ has now been mostly explored. A year of cutting and polishing the agates, amethyst, and smoky quartz geodes from the ‘deep pit’ find is now displayed in these new photo galleries dedicated to this remarkable geological deposit from The Carver. The ‘deep pit’ was a small area approximately 15 x 30 feet within a larger pit that was approximately 500 x 700 feet.  From this larger pit, only the small pit yielded the geodes, agates and mineral specimens shown here. This is a geological oddity about which I have almost completed a more detailed geological report.  This report should be interesting because two highly respected Texas geologists have provided two differing geological opinions as to the  origins of this extremely peculiar geological find. Click on the links below to enjoy these new galleries and ‘stay tuned’ for more geological information about the […]

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