Resisting any bad puns about explosions of TNT, I was recently able to get a hefty sack-full of uncut stones from this area, which I never did know much about!
T&T or TNT thundereggs are a less well-known location from the Mill Creek Wilderness Area, alongside such stones as Fallen Tree and Stein’s Pillar. They are usually simple stones with clear brown agate (‘root-beer agate’) and quartz. They are also one of the locations more prone to Amethyst, as in the example above. They are a hard stone to image though – it is hard to capture the 3D depth of these stones. Above it just looks like a purple smudge, but in reality you can see that purple ghost drifting deep inside the stone and it is absolutely beautiful!
The above is an even stronger example of the 3D depth of these stones. Not the best cut I ever did – it was broken and I had no choice. But I like it because there is such a nice little 3D world submerged in that dark agate! I seem to have missed the important parts of the core completely and the features are visible in the depths from ‘outside’ as floating ghosts. Line it up just right and you can see a perfect little funnel of levelling lines floating in there.
The above is an absolute classic stone in my experience, showing off all the basic characteristics nicely. It is the elegant shapes that make these stones so appealing, as in the following, where an atoll formation has created a very nice peripheral cave.
The other half:
The agate is so clear and smooth that they were a nightmare to scan, with every speck of dust on the scanner showing up like a firework show. They took a great polish though. One or two of the stones surprised me by having white opal cores – and also more complex things like the following, which is a curious muddle of agate, brecciation and what look like tiny dendrites.
The clear agate often allows you to see deeply into the stones, making out the 3d structure inside. The stone below is a fine example, with a largish cave and very detailed view of the core.
And the other half:
To round off though, here is a larger example that proves that the location can be quite dramatically complex. This one has been in my gallery for a long time now, but exploring a sackful of its kin only makes me appreciate it more.
January 11, 2012
eibonvale
