Uncle Ron Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 Johnno posted on facebook some pix of tektites he saw down in Tucson and it jogged my memory of a rock sitting in my "cool stuff found" shelf ... I do believe this is a tektite ... But I can't remember where I picked it up ... I've had it for years and think I may have found it in the Vulture Mountains, but not real sure ... I thought it was just volcanic but it sure does look exactly like a bunch of tektites I found on the internet, like exactly .... What do you guys think? ... Cheers, Unc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredmason Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 UNC;It does resemble a tectite but it is more likely a piece of obsidian that was dropped out-or-place...of course if could have been dropped by an asian/pacific/australian travelling salesman too...the only USA tectites I am aware of are found around Georgia....and they are not that color...I could be misremembering and don't feel like looking them up...Maybe, Jonno will grace our forum during a break at the Tucson show...fred Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I agree, looks like obsidian to me. Tektites only come from a few very specific places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haderly Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I have heard that there is at least one location in the Vulture Mountains that has Apache Tears. I believe it is listed in one of the rock hound books but I have never tried to find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel Pan Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I have fouind so called "Apache Tears" around Coaldale Nv., North of Tonapah. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 Yes, there is an apache tears area on Jackrabbit Wash more or less under the power lines where they cross the wash ... Also an amazing Apache tear area at the turn off to Burro Creek Campground between Wickenburg and Wickiup ... Right after you leave the freeway park on the first turnout to your left, almost beside the free way ... We collected there until we got tired of picking them up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Ron Posted February 11, 2014 Author Share Posted February 11, 2014 I always thought it was obsidian myself, but when I saw Johnno's pix and then found more pix on the web it just seemed identical to some of the one's I saw ... There was info on several site about tektites from Arizona, but there also was info that the AZ ones might not be real ... Oh well ... 'll just stick it back on my cool things found shelf and keep looking at it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twink Monrad Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 I can speak up on the Arizonites or Saffordites, since John Blennert showed them to Jim Kriegh and me many years ago. We picked some up and sent them on to Univ. of Connecticut, where Dr. Billy Glass did analysis and sent me the results: volcanic obsidian. They resemble the Columbianites, which are also not tektites as I understand it. Go to The Tektite Source website, run by Norm Lehrman, and he shows all of the above, and even sells Arizonaites/Saffordites but does not say they are tektites, he knows the whole story. He bought a few from me last year but has gotten many from others before me, for his site. These AZites and Saffordites are quite different in appearance from the Apache Tears from Superior AZ and other AZ locations which you mentioned. Twink Monrad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Very interesting Unc I can see how you thought it could be a Tektite. If found in that area, I would definitely say Obsidian. But it also has some interesting surface area. Could have been somebody's dropped lucky charm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 Unc another site you might find interesting. Aubrey Whymark is a good friend http://www.tektites.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted February 17, 2014 Share Posted February 17, 2014 There are also people out there that believe in Tektite power maybe they dropped ithttp://crystallogy.wordpress.com/t/tektite/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1knapperjim Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Just out of curiosity, when back lit with a light can you find a section that is transparent enough to see light through? If so is the rock black or dark green in thin section when back lit? Most U. S. obsidians will be black (but not all) and most tektites that I've seen from various locations are colored. Even tektites (that I've seen) that appear black in color will actually be a deep green when a thin piece is back lit. If your rock is green when back lit, then check the obsidian found in that area (if you know the area) to see if its' back lit color comes close to your rock's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 It's not a tektite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regmaglitch Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I don't claim to know much about tektites, but I have seen the Saffordites that Twink has found, and they are beautiful. I have also heardof tektites being found in Texas. I haven't bought any from asia since 2010 because they tell me the fake ones from China are pretty good.And now, they've even got real good fake Moldavite, too. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twink Monrad Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Right Ben, the fake moldavites disturb me because each year at the Tucson Show I have a routine of buying one new one each year just for the heck of it. I always get one from the same person, so I trust they are real...Also, Steel Pan, I will be with 3 friends in Tonopah end of May for quite a few days. If we need something else to do, how would we find the Apache Tear area near Coaldale? Coaldale on map looks to be west of Tonopah off of 95. Thanks, Twink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desertsunburn Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 Twink, Wendy took all my money this year at Tucson and bought a Moldavite pendant from Mike Miller.....and then a slice of Gibeon from him....and then a pendant from Mica of Muonionalusta and then a DIO we pretty much gave away and then..... She is becoming a pendant collector...and I am broke! Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twink Monrad Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 I have heard of being real estate poor, guess you are becoming Pendant Poor! Could be worse, if you think about it...Twink Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rimshot Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 I thought i had some in my area but not in my county... : (But still an interesting read. Are tektite's worth anything?http://www.utexas.edu/tmm/npl/meteorites/tektites/tektite_info.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzNuggetBob Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Ron Here is some rocks I found near Kingman, AZ. and when I first found them I thought they may be Tektites. If you want to venture a small chunk of your suspected tektite, just chip off a piece and melt it. you can use a propane or even an acetylene torch. if it bubbles its apache tear if not its a probably a tektite. AzNuggetBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regmaglitch Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 Hi Bob, The specimens you found near Kingman are really cool. Did you get an official determination on them? Are they Tektites? Obsidian? Volcanic ejecta? Thanks, Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzNuggetBob Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 BenI found the large one first and I was excited. as you can see the surface texturing is very similar to Tektites.I have not had these officially tested but according some simple tests they tested to be Apache tears or obsidian with heavy weathering. I sliced samples off several them. I was going to use the large clean one for a center piece in a custom belt buckle but decided it would be to fragile. I should note that the rock front and center of photo is a Tektite from china that I purchased for testing purposes. AzNuggetBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regmaglitch Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Hi Bob, Yeah, that big one REALLY looks interesting. If that is from weathering, I am kind of surprised. I have a bunch ofobsidian from a meteorite hunt that I did in Nevada, in 2012, which is actually regmaglypted (thumb-printed), andrippled. They are true ventifacts, and look like black Libyan Desert Glass. So, anything is possible.What ever you found, it's cool looking. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzNuggetBob Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 (edited) Check this one out BenHere is another mystery rock. I found this near Rich Hill Az. when the sun light hit just right I spotted the color. It was literly embeded in the caliche like an eye ball with iron and hemetite stones around it. I had to chissel it out with my pick. If you look close it appears to have orientation and flight lines down the sides with ablasion. Because of its nice blue green color with tinges of yellow in spots. I was thinking it may be some kind of gem stone. I cut a deep window in the side and as you can see in photo #4 there is a small pocket of bubbles so definitly not a gem stone. The pocket of bubbles are only just inside the one end right were the ablasion lines start not throughout the intire stone. the bubbles are perfectly round not stretced or compressed. the rounded end was down when I found it. could it be some type of Tektite ? Mohes hardness is simular to glass. the flashlight is high intensity LED. it is very clean and clear on the inside. I considered it may just be melted bottle glass, it has that color but how did it get embeded in the caliche? Sorry about the photo's Ill try to get some clearer. AzNuggetBob Edited March 30, 2014 by AzNuggetBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regmaglitch Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Hi Bob, I know that some precious, and semi-precious stones have "inclusions", but I don't know if that includes vesicles or bubbles.It looks kind of like some of the flourite that I've seen at the Tucson Show. Awesome! Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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