Where can I find Thundereggs in Arizona?

Just to the northeast of Phoenix, the Cave Creek area offers some of the best rockhounding you can find in a small area in Arizona (and that's saying something). There is a great mix of rocks and minerals to find here, including agate, jasper, quartz, precious metals, and even thundereggs.

Where in Arizona can you find geodes?

The land around Payson is one area with lavish Geodes. Geodes found here range in size from marble to grapefruit. Southern Arizona is another area that offers Geodes. There are several rockhounding sites near Gleeson, within the Sugarloaf Mountains.

Where can I find thundereggs near me?

The best productive areas are located in the Ochoco National Forest, in the high desert of Central Oregon near Prineville and Madras, and in Succor Creek Creek Canyon of Eastern Oregon. A remote fee-digging collecting area is a popular site to collect stunning thundereggs...

How do you tell if a rock is a thunder egg?

Thunder eggs are red, light-pink, pinkish-red, reddish-brown, and brown from the outside because of the color of rhyolites. Thunder eggs are not perfectly round from inside. Chalcedony or agate can form star-like figures. Geodes are hollow inside.

Where are thundereggs located?

Thundereggs can be found in localized areas across the world where optimal conditions exist. Some of the best known thunderegg spots in the world are located in Germany and in Oregon. The thunderegg is even the state rock of Oregon!

OMG!! Thundereggs at Lake Pleasant??! plus geodes, and a calcite CAVE!! #arizona #minerals #geode

What's the difference between a thunder egg and a geode?

Thunder eggs, which are technically known as lithophysae are typically found with solid or near-solid cores of chalcedony or agate, whereas geodes are relatively hollow inside with thinner layers of quartz crystals.

How do you cut a thunder egg?

While most of the work can be done with things found at the hardware store, slicing the egg open will require some sort of saw. Thundereggs 1” or under can be cut with diamond cut-off wheels in a Dremel or flex-shaft but the cut will be rough.

Where do you find geodes at?

Geodes are found throughout the world, but the most concentrated areas are located in the deserts. Volcanic ash beds, or regions containing limestone, are common geode locations. There are many easily accessible geode collecting sites in the western United States, including in California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada.

How old is a thunder egg?

“Thunder eggs are gas bubbles that formed in a rhyolite formation between thirty and forty million years ago,” noted Casey.

How do you find geodes?

To find geodes, look in riverbeds, limestone areas, and volcanic ash beds in countries where geodes are often found, like the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and Madagascar. When you're searching for geodes, look for rocks that are round or egg-shaped with a bumpy texture.

How big can thunder eggs get?

Thundereggs are agate-filled nodules found in various parts of the Western United States. They range in size from 1/4 inch to as large as 5 feet in diameter. Generally, they are about the size of oranges.

What are thunder eggs made of?

Thunder eggs are spherical objects which form in some types of silica-rich volcanic rocks (e.g. rhyolites). As the volcanic lava cooled, trapped steam and other gases formed an expanding bubble.

Where are thundereggs in Succor Creek?

The official state rock of Oregon, thunder eggs, filled with agates and other minerals, can be found in the Succor Creek State Natural Area. Cross the bridge and search on the hillside and gravel deposits along the creek. This deposit is a very large and, typically, thunder eggs are averagely sized up to apple.

Where can I find opals in Arizona?

In southern Arizona are the Sky Opal mines in Santa Cruz County. Here, beautiful soft blue opals surface. Another popular mine is Burro Creek, a mineral-producing region in Wickenburg known to produce rockhound collectibles and American opals.

Where is peridot found in Arizona?

Today, the San Carlos, Arizona, peridot deposits supply most of the commercially sold and used peridot. Tribal members mine the peridot, which occurs as small green grains in the basalt. The entire volcanic structure called Peridot Mesa is mined exclusively by local residents.

Where are the Apache tears in Arizona?

Discover this 1.9-mile out-and-back trail near Superior, Arizona. Generally considered an easy route, it takes an average of 49 min to complete. This is a popular trail for hiking and walking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day.

What are thunder eggs used for?

Thunder Egg is used in the spool of the Sewing Machine to create a Shirt.

What type of rock do geodes form in?

First, geodes can form in igneous rock. When lava or magma cools and a bubble of carbon dioxide or water vapor flows in, an empty space is left behind. Lava can also solidify underwater, and any water inside will crack the rock and leak out, leaving a cavity. Geodes can also form in sedimentary rock.

Where do geode rocks come from?

Geodes are formed when there are pockets of air within rocks. This often happens after volcanic eruptions when lava cools around air bubbles. These pockets leave space for groundwater to seep in. But the water itself doesn't produce geodes–it brings along minerals which stay in the rock even after the water evaporates.

What is the rarest geode color?

The rarest and most valuable geodes contain amethyst crystals and black calcite.

How do you tell if a rock has a geode?

Can you find geodes in creeks?

They are commonly found in rock geodes in creeks and streams. Geodes are rounded-looking stones with a hollow interior in which the crystals form. From the outside, they don't look like much, but they can be full of beautiful purple and violet sparkles when you break them open.

How do you clean thunder eggs?

The quickest and the easiest way to clean your geodes or thundereggs is to just wash them with plain old soap and water. I'll usually take a soft bristle scrub brush to them as well, to get all the dirt out of the cracks and crevices.

How are thundereggs created?

Formation. Thundereggs are found in flows of rhyolite lava. They form in the lava from the action of water percolating through the porous rock carrying silica in solution. The deposits lined and filled the cavity, first with a darker matrix material, then an inner core of agate or chalcedony.

How do I polish my thundereggs?

Just dip the attachment into the cerium oxide polish and slowly buff out the agate portions of the thunderegg. Keep following the process until there is no noticeable change in the rock after a buff. Once you have the final, polished, and geometric thunderegg half, find an adequate place to display your work.