I take your point Goldierocks. Are your photos local? There are certainly some basalts present among the coal measures and some volcanic tuff which would be the source of the silica.
Thanks Goldie rocks. The intriguing thing, though, is the agates that you find are consistently pea-sized or slightly smaller - they have been sorted by erosion and deposition over countless years. If they are associated with the basalt flows on the coast you might expect them to be of various...
Hi all I have been collecting petrified wood pebbles on the beach for many years and polishing them in my tumbler. Of interest also are the tiny agates found in the gravels.
I've been wondering about the origins of them both. I believe the petrified wood is assocaited with the Illawarra Coal...
Hi. The instruction book that came with my new Lortone tumbler recommends 7 days use of aluminium oxide after 220 grit and then a final 7 day polish using aluminium oxide. I have used 600 grit for years before polishing. What do people think? Your advice is appreciated. Regards, Old Bull Hubbard.
No doubt many of you are familiar with these stunning brightly coloured and patterned agate pebbles from Madagascar. They look too good to be true and perhaps they are. There is talk that they have been heat treated, soaked in a sugar solution and then boiled in a sulphuric acid solution to...