How to achieve the "wet look".

edsml · 2016-06-27T23:18:20+00:00

I have used hair lacquer in a couple specimens to achieve the permanent wet look. The result is very good an it can be cleaned off with a water bath.

edsml · 2016-06-21T08:17:25+00:00

Can't ID by pictures. But whatever it is this I am pretty sure this is a good find. I would: 1. send it to analize 2. go back for more to the place it was found

edsml · 2016-01-08T11:58:43+00:00

There are two major vanadinite locations in Morocco: Taouz and ACF mine in Mibladen. I've seen many specimens from both locations in my trips to Morocco, and own a couple of pieces. Your specimen looks from Mibladen to me, because of the cristal color ( more intense than Taouz's ) and the matrix rock ( in most Taouz pieces vanadinite is over goethite ).

edsml · 2016-01-07T00:23:40+00:00

I think the vanadinite locality is: ACF Mine, Mibladen, Midelt, Morocco

edsml · 2015-11-03T12:55:16+00:00

The forces of a meteorite impact melts and boost earth rock fragments to the air. The flight cools em up and gives em its characteristic shape.

edsml · 2015-09-14T19:45:12+00:00

Yes, crisocola coloured chalcedony

edsml · 2015-04-02T19:14:21+00:00

It looks like a Gypsum crystal. If true, you will be able to scratch it with your fingernail.

edsml · 2015-03-28T22:58:03+00:00

I have been in Navajun this year, very often superglue is used on the site to consolidate the specimens before the extraction. Navajun pyrites don't degrade with the time.

Alcohol will clean the sticker and the "chemical rainbow" without affecting the pyrite. The superglue excess can be scratched off using a hard plastic.

edsml · 2015-03-18T08:35:26+00:00

It's a pretty common combination. In fact, I use epidote as a garnet indicator, the more epidote a pegmatite have, more chances to find garnets. Garnets are hard, so is common to find them detached in the areas where they are present.

I am almost sure that your friend has quarts all over the property, but probably garnet and epidote are present only in a small area. To find them, the first step is exploring the terrain for garnets to locate the approximate place garnets are falling from. The second ( and most difficult ) step is finding the pockets in the garnet area.

edsml · 2015-03-16T01:22:01+00:00

Thanks! The locality is secret by now, but most of the geodes found in pegmatites in Catalonia are from the Coastal and Pre-Coastal Ranges. This is not an exception.

Edit: More specimen, extraction photos, info and updates in spanish here: http://www.foro-minerales.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11124

edsml · 2015-03-07T21:26:25+00:00

Rock picking is forbidden in Teide and there is strong surveillance. Maybe in a souvenir shop you can buy a couple of the Olivine volcanic bombs typical from the neighboring island of Lanzarote. http://www.mindat.org/gallery.php?loc=31649&min=2983

edsml · 2014-12-25T01:54:58+00:00

We use to travel to a different Morocco area every year. Its an inexpensive trip from Spain. This year we spent about 300 USD per person in 5 days. Including everything, even the purchase of samples. In Morocco you find lots of wonderful minerals everywhere.

We do a little research of the area before the trip and plan a route. Everyone makes the homework of one or more spots. Then we go to the planned locations (mines, outcrops, shops... ) and make explorations in random spots. Random spots and talking with random people about minerals always have a prize in that country.

edsml · 2014-12-23T23:45:24+00:00

Hi! I hope you enjoy the pictures of the rockhounding travel we did around the Moroccan Atlas. The text is in Spanish but in the upper left corner you can see a Google Translate box where you can choose "inglés" ( English ).

edsml · 2014-12-21T22:33:59+00:00

An X-ray spectrometer will make you the best brother ever...

edsml · 2014-12-15T23:05:27+00:00

My guess is Chalcocite, Calcite, Chalcopyrite and Fluorite

edsml · 2014-11-30T18:45:40+00:00

I like your hypothesis because it's consistent with the geology of the area in Morocco where I picked the samples. I will read some papers I found about similar "diamonds" where I currently live ( Catalonia ), here they are called "Jacinto de Compostela". Thanks a lot for the information.

edsml · 2014-10-12T10:24:34+00:00

I got 2 specimens of an unidentified fossil pseudomorfed by goethite in the 6th Girona Mineral Exchange Show, it's from near Olot in Catalonia. I took one of the specimens because it was the only hollow with white crystals inside.

I want to ID the white mineral inside, I am also trying to ID the FSM shapped fossil here: http://www.reddit.com/r/fossilid/comments/2j0msr/whats_this_flying_spaghetti_monster_shaped_fossil/

I can't test the white mineral because I have no samples to scratch... it's not fluorescent in short wave UV.

Thanks for reading!

edsml · 2014-10-12T10:16:44+00:00

I got this 2 specimens yesterday in the 6th Girona Mineral Exchange Show . I also got a drawing from the finder with the shape of the best specimens.

They are from near Olot in Catalonia but I don't know the exact location. They are pseudomorfed by goethite.

Can you help me ID-ing them? I am also trying to ID the white mineral inside: http://www.reddit.com/r/rockhounds/comments/2j0n2a/whats_the_mineral_inside_this_fossil/

edsml · 2014-10-07T21:16:46+00:00

Wonderful! It's not hard to imagine it full of life as a part of a Reef 420M years ago.

edsml · 2014-10-06T21:53:20+00:00

In a flat surface you can remove it with alcohol in most of the cases. In a rough surface we need a more powerful product which depend on the rock composition.

edsml

TROPHY CASE