[Rockhounds]

[bova at mindspring.com]

It looks very similar to jasper I've seen in the Lavic Siding, Field Siding, Ludlow and Cady Mountains areas of the Mojave Desert, near Barstow, California.  The  jaspers and jasp-agates do come in reds that intense, sometimes with orange, yellow and/or white, but more commonly, the jasper is a solid reddish-brown. The material on the south side of route 40 is very weathered, and probably float from some distance away, possibly the Cady Mountains, although the Cady jasp-agate is a little different. 

As usual, it's hard to tell exactly from an internet image, but the mention of moss agate makes it a stronger possibility. 

I found two nice pics of a piece of rough and a slab from Lavic
http://www.stoneageindustries.com/rough_lavic_jasper.html
http://stoneageindustries.com/lavic_jasper_slabs.html

This is a picture of a red jasp-agate from the Cady Mountains
http://www.minerals.cc/gallery.cfm?GalleryID=218&PhotoID=3013

And one from Ludlow, which is also along Route 40 in the same area of the Mojave.
http://www.minersgallery.com/index.php?productID=401

Coincidentally, myrickite is found in the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, north of Barstow, California.

Carol



-----Original Message-----
>From: pmodreski at aol.com
>Sent: Mar 17, 2008 7:35 PM
>To: rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com
>Subject: [Rockhounds] "intense red agate", a question from off-list
>
>
>Rockhounds List,
>
>I'd like to forward a question that came to the editor of Rocks & Minerals magazine, to see if anyone on this list is familiar with this agate and would like to try answering the inquiry of the gentleman, Stefan Bachmayer [don't know where or what country he's from]:
>
> 
>
>
>Hello, 
>
> I´m searching very intensiv red agate nodules (moss agate) rough - similar of the photos.  
>
> Foundation: Western US   
>
> Maybe you can help me or know where I get this material. 
>
> If you have such material now or in future please send pictures.
>
> Thanks for your help.
>
> greetings, Stefan    stefan at bachmayer.info
>  
>[by "foundation", I'm sure he means location]  Not having another good way to share the pictures Stefan sent, if you paste this full url into your web browser it will open an aol picture album with three views of a piece of this agate.  It is indeed, as Stefan says, a very vivid, intense deep red color, not like any I have offhand seen; reminds me of myrickite, but that is opal of course and is more orange-red.
>
>
>http://pictures.aol.com/ap/viewShare.do?shareInfo=esv4e%2b9w77ncAqFoejfCd8F6mrMZ0sOUe%2f%2fMOOuqyfFWGd%2bBXiXp6w%3d%3d
>
>This person is not on the Rockhound list of course, so if you have any information you'd can share with him about this, please write to him directly.  (Probably the folks on the List, including me, would appreciate hearing what you have to say about it too.) Thanks very much,
>
>Pete Modreski
>
>
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