Castle Valley Gems

05/02/2023

Getting some rings ready for mother's day.

03/31/2023

I am making some belt buckles for the crystal festival this weekend. Here is the first one with Owyhee Picture Jasper.

03/29/2023

Summit, Utah is within a structural transition between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range Province. The Colorado Plateau was uplifted as part of the Laramie Progeny, the mountain building event that creates the Rocky Mountains. This uplift created high angle faults associated with the uplift. The Laramide Orogeny took place between 90-45 million years ago. Beginning about 55 million years ago, the western part of the US began to stretch. This stretching created the Basin and Range Province as pieces dropped down into gaps that formed. The Wasatch fault is n northern Utah and Hurricane fault in Southern Utah mark the eastern extent of the Basin and Range Province. Activity in the area around Summit began about 20 million years ago and is still active today. These faults have the potential to have major earthquakes. In addition, the gaps from the stretching allowed magma to rise to the surface creating volcanoes. Hydrothermal fluids deposited minerals in fractures associated with the volcanoes and faults. The extensive faulting around Suumit has resulted in a wide range of colors and patterns Seam agates. Hydrothermal activity continues today along the Wasatch Front and is being tapped into for geothermal energy.
https://rockhoundsanonymous.com/summit-agate/

02/21/2023

These nodules are from the Cedar Mountain Formation, a Cretaceous aged rock in southeast Utah. The nodules are frequently identified as Coprolite (Fossil p**p) but they are really soil nodules (more on why they are not p**p is a topic for another conversation). The nodules form as calcite precipitation around roots and such in a fairly arid soil. The nodules were part of the depositional environment and are found anywhere that this part of the Cedar Mountain Formation is present (called the Ruby Ranch Member). However, in many places, there are minerals in these nodules. Around the Henry Mountains near Hanksville and Yellowcat north of Moab they can be found with colorful Agate. These nodules that I found not too far from the Reed view area on I70 have some nice pink, red, white and even orange Agate. Some of them formed geodes with Calcite crystals and others have chalcopyrite in them. The minerals are precipitated into fractures in the nodules by mineral rich ground water. The minerals in the groundwater can be different from one place to another and at different times throughout history. Much of the mineralization in these nodules is associated with hydrothermal activity that also deposited the abundant uranium and copper minerals in the area. This location was not on any rockhounding map. But if you learn the geology and geologic maps, you can find areas that are off the beaten path, and often have much more stuff because they are not flooded with people. It is an important note, however, that often the Ruby Ranch Member is mapped incorrectly. In this area, it was mapped as part of the Jurassic Morrison Formation. But by learning the geology and the associated rocks, you can find some really cool areas.

01/16/2023

01/16/2023

Petrified wood is found in several rock units in Southern Utah. Fluids from nearby volcanoes or underground magma mineralized the wood in different colors. This weekend we found some wood in part of the Cedar Mountain Formation and Morrison Formation around the Henry Mountains. Some of it is very colorful. Some of it was replaced by uranium. There is also abundant Agate and Jasper in the area. Most of the wood is heavily fractured in the conglomerates of the Cedar Mountain formation and the Salt Wash Member of the Morrison Formation and falls apart easily when it comes to the surface.

10/05/2022

Petrified Wood from the Chinle Formation, San Rafael Swell, Utah. The Chinle Formation is triassic in age and has abundant petrified wood. This is the same formation the Petrified Forest in Arizona is in. The color of the petrified wood is dependent on minerals that are in the ground water after deposition. This piece was found bear an of uranium and copper prospect. It had interesting black druzy crystals.

NFS

09/25/2022