FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Catahoula]

Hello Mineral Forum,

I am a Mojave Desert wanderer and I have collected amazing specimens over the year of walking. This is a recent find. It is from the locale of Mojave, CA. The area hosts chalcedony, jasper, opal and agate. This specific location has quite a lot of what I assumed was brown jasper/opal. All beautiful, but dark and very little translucence. This specific piece is large, roughly 4 lbs. It fractures like obsidian. Anyone care to take a stab at what it is?

Thank you all,
Jess

[Catahoula]

[Bob Harman]

If colorful petrified wood is found in that area, then my first choice of ID would be just that.
If no petrified wood comes from that area, then my thought would be a piece of microcrystalline quartz, variety colorful jasper.
Petrified wood is silicified wood (microcrystalline quartz replaced wood), similar to jasper. BOB

[Catahoula]

Thanks Bob, I have found some beautiful Royal Imperial Jasper (green to cimarron) that seems to be branches, at a lower elevation. Much of this is actually found in seams of lava rock rather than dispersed. This specimen was found in the foothills of the Paiute mountains. Could very likely have been a forested area in a past life.

[rernst]

I'd say it's agate and not petrified wood, nice piece.