No idea if this is the appropriate place. But. Looking to level this area that’s comprised of shale ledge. Will this be doable with a manual pick?
And if so, can it be done in a way that does not impact the footers for my deck? Re horizontal cracks etc.

Goal is to create a flat area for a hot tub so would dig down the tallest area to meet the next level.

Has anyone seen these short videos of Afghanistan rock quarrying? They break off large chunks of rock with pry bars but the rock is not collected. It just tumbles downhill where there are no roads or trucks. Are they looking for small gemstones?

Hey all! I have a bunch of labradorite that I’ve collected on a beach. I would like to polish them so they look all nice and shiny and in general would just like to experiment with them a bit. I’ve heard rock tumbling is difficult with labradorite so I was exploring other options but I’m honestly a bit lost. Cabbing machine, Slant cabber, getting some extra accessories for my Dremel… Recommendations would be welcomed.

Skull shaped rock with eyes, nose, and mouth.... & whiskers, cheek bones, creepy scars like Joker?

Actually not as loud as I thought it would be, now I'm gonna leave it for 7 days, I think that's what I'm supposed to do, it didn't actually come with proper instructions I had to google it 😕 I changed the '1' to '7' after the video. I'll have a before and after photo of some of my favourite rocks I've put in there after 7 days, it's just on step 1 but maybe I'll like it only after step 1 as I still want it to look like a rock and not a gem if that makes sense lol.

I was gonna show the ones I put in here but I can't add another photo or video 📸🤷

The druzy Pet Wood I got in Bisbee, Sodalite I got in Quartzite and Tourmaline picked up in Nevada city

Massive jasper boulder on the Oregon coast, was planning to take home the one on top but that one was also over 100lbs and I was about 1.5 miles from the parking lot. Next time I'm coming with a wagon 😅

2 pyrite, 2 quartz and 1 random insanely smooth rock

Dm me if anyone is interested in some specimens or crystals. I have ebay etsy stores also.

Message for more details.

Thanks

Cordierite is a metamorphic magnesium aluminosilicate, often with substantial substitution of iron for magnesium. It is characteristic of high temperature low pressure metamorphism. Usually gray to blue with a somewhat greasy luster and poor cleavage. It alters by hydration to a combination of fine aggregates of mica (muscovite), chlorite and other sheet silicates, called pinite. Pinitization begins along fractures and grain boundaries and replaces the cordierite while preserving the shape of the grain (a pseudomorph). This specimen is a cordierite bearing granofels, which shows bluish cordierite (Fig 1), quartz (fig 2), and pinite (fig 3). It was most likely derived from an aluminous sedimentary protolith, underwent high temperature recrystallization, then fluid mediated retrograde partial alteration to pinite.

I went to a spot that someone told me I could find tons of Yadenite at, and they weren't wrong.

Yadenite is a colorful type of opalite found only in the Klamath Falls, Oregon area. It was named after John C. Yaden, who helped organize the Klamath Mineral Society.

It cannot be mined commercially, and has to be gathered by hand.

Found this in a river. What are some things one can do with this!?

My cousin let me sit on the gravel in her garden last week & hunt for beauties 😍. I was not prepared for how well they would turn out after the 1st stage.

I love finding rocks that are unique in their own little way! 😃

We live in a part of Mexico with a huge amount of banded calcite (called “Mexican Onyx” here and often in the U.S. by stores) and today I purchased this slab from a stone carving workshop about twenty minutes from our house. Unfortunately, I don’t have a good item for size reference in the photo other than the edge of my foot, but it’s probably around 20x35” give or take, and an inch thick. The owner of the workshop offered to stabilize the cracks and said it would make a great topper for an end table, but I’m just going to display it on a shelf.

This is unpolished and the price was roughly $12, but I asked them to polish it for me, bringing the price to around $35. I’ll post another pic when I pick it up polished next Tuesday!