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chris
Site Admin
Joined: 12 Jul 2007
Posts: 538
Location: Grenoble
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Posted: Nov 01, 2012 03:27 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Hi Pierre,
Didn't have time to read your report until now. Great mix of crystals and (other) natural wonders. You sold the area quite well, especially for a hiker like me. Looking forward your future posts.
Christophe
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Nov 01, 2012 05:42 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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chris wrote: | Hi Pierre,
Didn't have time to read your report until now. Great mix of crystals and (other) natural wonders. You sold the area quite well, especially for a hiker like me. Looking forward your future posts.
Christophe |
Thanks Christophe! If I can find time, I will share some more. Regards.
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Chris Foltz
Joined: 28 Oct 2012
Posts: 92
Location: Maryland
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Posted: Dec 26, 2012 06:22 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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So cool to find pockets filled with quartz... beautiful... :)
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Dec 26, 2012 08:34 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Chris Foltz wrote: | So cool to find pockets filled with quartz... beautiful... :) |
You tell me Chris! Just 2 days ago I ventured into the mountains, not really expecting to find anything noteworthy. I found two lovely pockets with some crystals over 100mm. I removed one and left the other for my wife to remove next time. I am always amazed at the gemmy, 'pre-cut' gems that come from the soil; a very very addictive hobby!
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Josele
Joined: 10 Apr 2012
Posts: 407
Location: Tarifa, Spain
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Posted: Dec 27, 2012 11:17 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Pierre, I really enjoy with your finding report, thank you for sharing it. Southafrica calls my atention from time ago and your post makes grow my interest for the country.
_________________ Josele |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Dec 27, 2012 11:49 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Josele wrote: | Pierre, I really enjoy with your finding report, thank you for sharing it. Southafrica calls my atention from time ago and your post makes grow my interest for the country. |
Josele, thank you so much for your kind words. You need a few lifetimes to explore SA properly. The Northern Cape is to me the most fascinating of all the areas with a huge variety of mineral specimens.
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Jan 01, 2013 08:59 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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On the 28 of December (just a few days ago), I drove off to the Roggeveld (better known as the Ceres Karoo or Tankwa Karoo). Most of this area still falls under the Western Cape province. The reason for this trip was 2-fold; firstly to temporarily escape the madness of the hour, and secondly, to collect some mineral specimens. My target for this two and a half day trip, was a quartz reef and a small quarry. On the way back, I stopped over on a farm to collect some quartz crystals. I hope you can enjoy some of the highlights of this trip.
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Some 160 km from home on the way to Calvinia, Western Cape. |
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The semi-desert had some good rain. |
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The border of the Western Cape, some 120 km from our home. The languages on the board are Afrikaans; Xhosa and (off-course) English. |
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Some strange mineral (or is it perhaps fungi?) on shale rock. |
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A quartz reef exposed and weathered. |
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Full moon makes the landscape look like the surface of some other planet. |
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Gypsum in-between layers of shale (something very abundant in this area) |
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A natural pool (one of two) formed in the quarry after the rain. |
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Where the rain washed away softer earth, shale with veins of clear gypsum are exposed. |
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A second pool in the quarry, which is the result of some good rain. |
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_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Jan 01, 2013 09:33 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Here are some more photos from this trip.
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The same quarry where gypsum; calsite and some other strange mineral is to be found. |
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Calcite Western Cape, South Africa fingers for scale |
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Calcite on shale Western Cape, South Africa 65 x 47 mm |
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Calcite geode Western Cape, South Africa 40 x 20 mm A small geode of drusy calcite crystals |
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A very nice pocket that yielded many calcite specimens, mostly small, pearly crystals on matrix. |
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Calcite Western Cape, South Africa Approx. 40 x 30 mm |
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Calcite Western Cape, South Africa Fingers for scale. |
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A large rock which hosted the calcite pocket. |
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A most remarkable, unusual mineral for this area (possibly some form of quartz). The host rock looks like basalt. |
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Black, iron bearing rocks are in abundance; some with a jet black colour. |
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A very welcome stop about 100 km from the nearest shop; a farm stall with COLD COKE!!! This is the only such place on a stretch of remote road, 255 km long. |
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Closer to home, I slept for one night in the field on a farm and woke up with these antelope grazing about 200 m away. |
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_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Jan 01, 2013 10:02 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Some more photos of rocks from this last trip.
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Iron bearing rock with strange crystals. Western Cape, South Africa 85 x 52 mm This black rock hosts some dark unknown crystals of a type I have never seen from this area. |
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Unknown crystals Western Cape, South Africa Largest approx. 3mm long. My knowledge of mineral specimens is very limited. I will place some of these photos on 'what mineral is it?' later on. Maybe one of our experts can help identify these crystals. |
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Unknown crystals Western Cape, South Africa Largest approx. 3mm long. Same as above |
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Iron bearing geode Western Cape, South Africa 190 x 170 mm I found a small gully with these strange 'geodes'. I am not quiet sure what minerals are involved, although iron is almost surely one of them. |
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Iron bearing geode Western Cape, South Africa 190 x 170 mm Same as above. |
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Basalt? with veins of quartz Western Cape, South Africa 80 x 50 mm Some areas of the Karoo have these rocks in abundance. It looks like elephant skin. |
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Basalt? with veins of quartz Western Cape, South Africa 180 x 150 mm |
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Quartz??? Western Cape, South Africa 13 x 12 mm I found only two of these crystals in a certain area after many hours of searching and breaking rocks. If it is quartz, it is a most unusual type. |
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Hematite, manganese mineral??? Western Cape, South Africa crystal size: 13 x 11 mm I was very excited when I found this crystal on rock matrix, but the fascets appear to have been made by quartz crystals. |
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30061 Time(s) |
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_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Chris Foltz
Joined: 28 Oct 2012
Posts: 92
Location: Maryland
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Posted: Jan 01, 2013 11:08 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Happy New Year! Now time to go hunt the deer... :)
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Jan 01, 2013 11:45 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Chris Foltz wrote: | Happy New Year! Now time to go hunt the deer... :) |
Deer Chris, do you want the farmer to shoot me?!
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Josele
Joined: 10 Apr 2012
Posts: 407
Location: Tarifa, Spain
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Posted: Jan 01, 2013 14:13 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Pierre, anyway you had a good day of hunting, picking up some nice stones.
Very interesting and beautiful these pinkish nodules into black matrix. Perhaps Chalcedony?
Did you check magnetism to crystals in P1050437.JPG? They look as octogonal and can be Magnetite.
P1050467.JPG is a Cumberland habit quartz.
I can not recognize P1050388.JPG but to me do not looks as Hematite. Perhaps Arfvedsonite? What is the matrix? Quartz?
Greetings.
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 4897
Location: Barcelona
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Posted: Jan 01, 2013 14:21 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Pierre, please open the correspondent threads in "What is it? - Where is it from?" as you proposed, otherwise we will discuss about what your last finds could be in the wrong place. Thank you.
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Jan 02, 2013 05:15 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Jordi Fabre wrote: | Pierre, please open the correspondent threads in "What is it? - Where is it from?" as you proposed, otherwise we will discuss about what your last finds could be in the wrong place. Thank you. |
I will do so straight away Jordi.
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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janetsa
Joined: 16 Feb 2010
Posts: 2
Location: Sir Lowry's Pass
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Posted: Jan 14, 2013 05:26 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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What a wonderful read this thread is! I am from the foot of Sir Lowry's Pass, near Somerset West and Gordons Bay in the Western Cape and I cannot believe what you have found on our doorstep! My dream is to go rockhounding - but as I have knee problems cannot walk too far. My closest was actually this past Saturday on the road from Springbok to Kleinzee - picking up some specimens next to the road which are nothing, but I like them anyway.
Would love to join you on one of your less vigorous excursions sometime Pierre, or to keep the beers cold and the coffee hot at the vehicles while you prospect! Even hubby is getting interested in rocks these days! How do you find out about these places - I have spent 3 years asking around without much info at all.
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Jan 14, 2013 05:53 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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janetsa wrote: | What a wonderful read this thread is! I am from the foot of Sir Lowry's Pass, near Somerset West and Gordons Bay in the Western Cape and I cannot believe what you have found on our doorstep! My dream is to go rockhounding - but as I have knee problems cannot walk too far. My closest was actually this past Saturday on the road from Springbok to Kleinzee - picking up some specimens next to the road which are nothing, but I like them anyway.
Would love to join you on one of your less vigorous excursions sometime Pierre, or to keep the beers cold and the coffee hot at the vehicles while you prospect! Even hubby is getting interested in rocks these days! How do you find out about these places - I have spent 3 years asking around without much info at all. |
Hi Janetsa, nice to hear from someone 'local'! I grew up in Somerset West. We had a nursery on the banks of the Lourens river. I will send you our tel. number via PM and see when you can join us for an 'easy' dig.
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Feb 23, 2013 06:17 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Summer in the Western Cape is dry and very hot. For this reason, we do not venture much into the mountains at this time of the year, instead, waiting for the cooler months. A recent, unexpected cold front, brought some relief and we undertook a trip to a nearby farm, where, up in the mountains, I discovered an interesting deposit of quartz about a year ago. I would like to share this outing with you.
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Our destination: a mountainous area which suffered from a recent fire. Note the white quartz in the foreground. |
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One of our 2 RPS's (royal pavement specials), Yogi (reminding one of Yogi bear, with his short ear stubs), who was rescued about ten years ago, from a squatter camp after both his ears had been cut off. He is a very happy dog and just as addicted to the mountains, just like us. |
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Our second canine, Kleintjie (meaning 'little one'), is a sweet little thing - loves hunting, but not really catching anything. Both dogs are more than 10 years old. |
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Riana busy removing part of a large quartz pocket. |
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Now it is my turn at the pocket. |
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A crystal fresh from the earth. |
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Riana, in an ackward position, removing crystals. |
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The small dog has a habit of finding a comfortable place to sleep when we take too long. |
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Another shot from the direct area. |
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The pocket extended futher under the rocks but getting better. Next time we will continue where we left off. |
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_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Feb 23, 2013 06:45 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Here are just a few specimens from this pocket, some with fadens and some with colouring captured inbetween crystals.
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Quartz Ceres, Western Cape, South Africa 71 x 53 x 27 mm |
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Quartz Ceres, Western Cape, SA 71 x 53 x 27 mm Same specimen as above |
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Quartz Ceres, Western Cape, SA 60 x 56 x 21 mm Very interesting quartz with yellow colouring (possibly iron staining) inbetween the crystals. |
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Quartz Ceres, Western Cape, SA 60 x 56 x 21 mm The same specimen as above. |
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Quartz Ceres, Western Cape, SA 52 x 33 x 16 mm A typical faden from this area. |
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Quartz Ceres, Western Cape, SA 61 x 28 x 12 mm Also a faden although not all of the faden 'stripes' are visible. |
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_________________ Pierre Joubert
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Jordi Fabre
Overall coordinator of the Forum
Joined: 07 Aug 2006
Posts: 4897
Location: Barcelona
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Posted: Feb 23, 2013 06:45 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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I love these posts!
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Pierre Joubert
Joined: 09 Mar 2012
Posts: 1605
Location: Western Cape
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Posted: Feb 23, 2013 06:47 Post subject: Re: Quartz collecting outings in South Africa |
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Jordi Fabre wrote: | I love these posts! |
Coming from you sir, that's great!
_________________ Pierre Joubert
'The tree of silence bears the fruit of peace. ' |
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