Fairburn Agates. South Dakota's State Gemstone

[crazy8s]

How do you know they are fairburn vs another type of agate, there are so many colors and patterns

[jakesrocks]

The ID lies in the fortifications. No other type of fortification agate can compare to the even width and precision with which each band follows the one before it in the Fairburns.

[crazy8s]

Got it, Thanks

[jakesrocks]

Found another hidden in an album.

[crazy8s]

Fortifications ?

[gingerkid]

Outstanding collection of Fairburns, Don! The Frogskins are really neat!

The Guardian of the Fairburns photo disappeared. ?

I love how you displayed them, too!!!



8s, here's something that may help, around Figure 1.3:

http://www.quartzpage.de/agate.html

[jakesrocks]

Sorry about that Jan. The guardian is back. I moved him to his own Photobucket album, and he vanished from here.

[gingerkid]

Don, have you tried uploading an avatar yet? I'll see what we can do to help if you have not been able to upload one.

Trying to get Windows updates after the computer went bonkers a couple of days ago, and gotta finish mowing the back yard with the push mower.

[jakesrocks]

This morning a 22,000 + Lbs, 600 Hp tractor came up my driveway, and let rip on its air horn. It was my trucker / rockhound buddy on his way to pick up an air turbine blade for a wind farm in Nebraska. Yesterday he had a chance to go rock hounding with some friends in the S.D. grasslands. Today he laid this piece in my hand & said it was a late anniversary present. Nobody yesterday could positively ID this as a Fairburn because of the heavy weather tarnish. The matrix rock is right for Fairburn, and fortifications can be seen under the tarnish. I'm giving it a 50/50 chance of being a Fairburn or a very nice prairie agate. Tomorrow it will go in an acid bath for a couple days. Anyway, before the acid bath.

[Rockranger]

One very COOL thread JR! Some look so close to oregon black and blues found on the beach.
How big is the newest find?