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Lake Superior Agates, Gemstones & Rocks
Part 2 - Minerals & Mystery Rocks




Two reference books I've found particularly helpful are: Sparky Stensaas' "Rock Picker's Guide to Lake Superior's North Shore" and Susan Robinson's "Is this an Agate." Armed with Sparky's and/or Susan's book plus some of the pictures and descriptions I've provided here, perhaps will help you ID what you are collecting.

[Recently I've found another rock pickers reference book that is helping me with agate hunting. It's "Understanding and Finding Agates " by Karen Brzys. Click Here to learn more about this book, including ordering it. ]

By the way, if you want to print out any of these larger images, just *right click* on the image and choose "copy image" to copy it to your hard drive. Once there you can click on it and print it out.

 

* I may have finally found a Lake Superior Agate !
Click here to can see my "Agate"
at the bottom of this page. There are also some very nice Agate specimens found by Jeff King.

~~~"Click" on smaller images for a larger picture~~~


Minerals

Quartz

Quartz is a common mineral found among the beach stones, very hard (will scratch glass), somewhat translucent like frosted glass, and be white to yellow to grayish in color (impurities cause this variety in colors). Generally found as pebbles or imbedded in other rocks. In fact some of the pebbles were formerly amygdules that broke loose from the rock in which they were imbedded.

 

quartz lake superior

Calcite

Calcite (calcium carbonate) at first glance may be thought to be quartz as it is a similar color (white to yellowish) and also commonly found, both as pebbles and imbedded within other rocks. But scratch it and you'll see it is much softer than quartz - chalky.

To the far right is an amalgam of quartz & calcite > > >

 

calcite lake superior quartz calcite lake superior

Chert

Cherts are a tiny crystal form of quartz. Impurities make them less translucent than quartz. They have a waxy appearance, somewhat shiny. Some of these depicted in the picture "may" be chert. The stone on the far left seems to best meet the description and may be Jasper.

 

chert lake superior  

Flint

Flint is a black version of chert. Note the waxy, somewhat shiny surface.

flint lake superior  

Agate

Here's an agate from the display at the Minnesota Geology Center in Moose Lake. Go here to see more examples of agates - both rough and polished.

 

Agate
Is This a Lake Superior Agate?

When I picked this guy off the beach at Black River Harbor, Michigan in 2008, I thought I had finally found my first Lake Superior Agate Beach Rock. But now I'm not sure?

Agate Hunters and Rock Pickers - what do you think?

Let me know your guess.

--Ross - roscoe@superiortrails.com

Lake Superior Agate?

Lake Superior Agate?

Lake Superior Agate?

Lake Superior Agate

Lake Superior Agate?
In 2009 I found another Agate possibility. Looks like it could be a seam agate.

Lake Superior Agate?

Lake Superior Agate?
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Many beach rock pickers might think this beach rock is an agate due to its banding and chochoidal fracture pattern. But I think this rock is a banded chert. The bands formed similar to how they form in a true agate but the crystal granules are so tight that the rock is opaque rather than translucent or partially translucent. Also the color is atypical of a Lake Superior Agate.

See more Agates versus Agate Wanna-Be's

An agate wanna-be An Agate Wanna-be
The beach rocks below ARE Lake Superior Agates - no question about it!

Jeff King of Pickford, Michigan sent me some pics of 3 agates he found during the summer of 2009 on Lake Superior beaches near Munising, MI - - - Great finds Jeff, I'm jealous.

Lake Superior Agate?

Lake Superior Agate?

Lake Superior Agate?

 
Want to See More Agates? - Go Here for pix from the Lake Superior Agate Museum

Understanding and Finding Agates
Lake Superior Rocks & Minerals: A Field Guide to the Lake Superior Area

Recommended by a SuperiorTrails friend & rock hound, this new guide has actual photographs of various rocks and minerals found on Lake Superior beaches. Co-author Bob Lynch is owner of Agate City Rocks and Gifts in Two Harbors Minnesota

Understanding and Finding AgatesUnderstanding & Finding Agates

Karen Brzys. Director, Gitchee Gumee Agate & History Museum, is an experienced beach comber and agate collector. Her book is the best one I've found for giving me guidance on identifying agates-in-the-rough. [More Info]

Is this an AgateIs this an Agate?: An illustrated guide to Lake Superior's beach stones Michigan

This is required handbook for rock pickers who love to comb Lake Superior beaches looking for pretty rocks and hoping to find an agate. Identifies some of the UP's best rock picking beaches.

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rock pickers guide to lake superiors north shore Rock Pickers Guide to
Lake Superior's North Shore

Sparky's guide covers what north shore beaches to comb, a bit of history on the formation of the various rocks found on beaches, and helpful information and pictures on identifying beach rocks and minerals.

agates: treasures of the earthAgates: Treasures of the Earth

Roger Pabian, professor emeritus at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and his fellow authors provide an informative guide to finding and collecting agates.


Links

Links for Rock Picking on Lake Superior Beachs and information on Agates and Rocks found around Lake Superior

- Minnesota's State Gem: The Lake Superior Agate

- Minnesota Rocks - Minnesota Geological Society (pdf file)

- Bob's Rock Shop - Online 'Zine for Rock Hounds

- Rock Identification Key - By Don Peck on Rockhounds.com
(I just recently found this site. The key looks real neat and am looking forward to using it on my mystery rocks)

For a nice introduction to rock tumbling, see Cheralyn Maturi's Minnesota Iron Range Website

Part 1, Lake Superior Rocks




bay furnace campground
Campground Directory
Lake Superior Circle Tour

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Travel Planner Lake Superior Circle Tour

CAMPING THE NORTH SHORE

Camping the North Shore

Golf Courses Around Lake Superior

About the Superior Hiking Trail



Pride of Baltimore II Tall ShipDuluth Tall Ships Festival
will be returning in 2013



Duluth Enger Park Tower
Duluth's Enger Park and Enger Park Tower

GGrand Portage Overlook
Scenic Fall Color Drive
Minnesota North Shore

Canoe Trails:
Wabakimi Canoe Trips
Canoe Trip Stories

Resource Links:
Gooseberry Falls State Park
Tettegouche State Park
Superior Hiking Trail Association

 

 

 

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Hotel, Motel Lodging
Duluth, Mn, Two Harbors, Grand Marais, Minnesota
North Shore

Minnesota North Shore
Golf Courses
Along Lake Superior
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North Shore and Duluth Fall Color Scenic Drives

North Shore Scenic Fall Color Drives