[Rockhounds] Yellow Cat Flat, Utah, recent visit

[Jay Bates]

We were there last fall in September. We found one nice purple puffer 
fish (agate after barite and a few pieces of wood,  mostly the black and 
brown wood. We stuck pretty close to the tire. We also went to the 
Henrys where we saw they were starting up a uranium mine. We also saw 
some gas wells near Canyonlands National Park. Thanks for posting your 
gorgeous pictures which refreshed some nice memories of our trip to Utah.

Alan Silverstein wrote:
> How many of you have rockhounded at Yellow Cat Flat in Utah?  OK, that's
> what I thought, you can put your hands down now...
>
> This is a huge area (miles across) of Morrison formation exposures north
> of Moab.  It starts about 7 gravel miles south of I70 exit 193 (note,
> they renumbered the exits a few years ago), between Crescent Junction
> (the NW entrance to Moab) and Cisco (the NE entrance).  A lot of the
> skyline to the south is the Manti La Sal mountains, and to the right of
> them, the Entrada sandstone of Arches National Park.  I'm pretty sure
> Yellow Cat's bluffs resulted from the same uplift that exposed the
> Entrada -- just based on observation.
>
> Anyway, I've been there numerous times over the years, mostly returning
> to a few favorite spots to hunt for tumbling material...  Agate and
> carnelian mostly.  Years ago, half a mile west of the "big tire at the
> main junction," you could still find "agate after barite", sprays of red
> square-cross-section agate in roundish shapes 1-2" across, but they are
> pretty rare now.  Hunted to extinction I guess.
>
> I spent the night camped there two weeks ago (April 7), and did some
> rockhunting on April 8.  It was cool, clear, and pretty between major
> cold fronts.  To my surprise, there was a water tank truck jacked up on
> stilts near the main junction, and a lot of truck traffic (various
> types) going by until well after dark, and starting again before
> sunrise!  From some signs, it appears they are drilling an oil or gas
> well miles further down the road.
>
> This time before leaving the area, I explored further south and east.
> I'd read of people finding rare gemmy-red "Yellow Cat petrified wood"
> down that way.  To my surprise, I discovered a site rich with white to
> brown, opaque to translucent, chunks of opalized wood.  Nothing too big,
> mostly under a pound.  But it was fun to find that place for myself; I
> had no idea it was there.
>
> Back at home, doing a little web research, it appears this is well-known
> to some people.  They talked about "going back to the white/gray wood
> site."  Oh well, so much for pioneering.
>
> FYI some photos of the area start here, if you want to see them:
>
>   http://silgro.com/photos/090407-13_Utah/0407-8_YellowcatFlat/
>
> The yellow thing on the roof of my car was a kayak.
>
> Cheers,
> Alan Silverstein
>