Rare Earth

The only Cool Rock(tm) I found in the Green River near Auburn a week and a half ago, just before I got officially engaged to @kkatieclarkk, a well tumbled, partially agatized piece of petrified wood. Documenting here so I can eventually slice and polish it up for multiple pieces of jewelry for us both??! #rock #rocks #silica #rockhounding #Washington #rockhound #geology #agate #agates #quartz #crystal #crystals #calcite #zeolite #zeolites #mineral #minerals #collection #earth #geo #nature #pnw #pacificnorthwest #mining #wood #petrifiedwood #fossil #fossils #fossilwood #woodgrain (at Kanaskat-Palmer State Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeUZk5RPXwu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Been in the moving process for a month, and with all my rocks packed up and waiting to be transported to their new home, this floater is the only one I have brought over. Found a few months ago in southern Washington state with @unearthed.minerals. Hopefully I'll get back to it before the end of the year, but it's unlikely tbh! Too much real life shit lately, but I'll be back #rocks #crystals #rockhounding #washington #geology #agate #rock #agates #crystal #quartz #mineral #minerals #specimen #pnw (at South Tabor) https://www.instagram.com/p/CW6TZZovThi/?utm_medium=tumblr

One of my spot cleaning guns lost pressure somehow, and now it's stuck on what seems to be the perfect strength to clean harder zeolites and other specimens in the field! I brought a battery along on my recent trip, and I'm probably gonna take it everywhere now. Check this stilbite as found, which I figured was decomposed beyond recognition. Just a few passes with the gun turned it into an absolute stunner on its bed of heulandite, with wild bicoloration and ample size and terminations. Included are a few videos of field cleaning heulandite and a lovely chocolate honey calcite found with @unearthed.minerals over the weekend. #stilbite #heulandite #crystals #rockhounding #washington #cleaning #zeolite #zeolites #mineral #minerals #crystal #rock #rocks #specimen #geology #quartz #spray #calcite (at Spray Park Trail) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTTayD-LpjG/?utm_medium=tumblr

Rocks and views from a couple days camping around the Gifford Pinchot with @unearthed.minerals. Featuring Mt. Adams, various creeks and rivers, and a whole heck bunch of heulandite. More photo dumps to come #rocks #crystals #rockhounding #washington #minerals #zeolite #quartz #pnw #rock #crystal #mtadams #wilderness #pockets #mining #mineral #agate #agates #silica #geology (at Dark Divide) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTQunLOlf1d/?utm_medium=tumblr

Sick shot of Mt. St. Helens my dad @portwes took in Rainier 42 years ago. 2 years later, everything changed when my brother @alekshrek520 was born in West Sussex, England. Oh, and I guess this mountain blew up too?? #geology #volcano #pnw #rainier #oregon #washington #mtsthelens #mountain #mountains #stratovolcano #rock #rocks #pacificnorthwest #longview #bridge #columbiariver #columbiacounty (at Saint Helens, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAVnZfVndfs/?igshid=emgh2iyg1rx2

My largest carnelian ever, weighing in at just over 3 pounds from a creek in SW Washington last week. It's kind of an ugly fellow, but with some really cool botryoidal and druzy pockets. It looks like there will be some moss in there too, and I believe the green areas are not superficial. I'm excited to try to cut into this, if my saw can cut it, get a slab out and polish the faces as a display piece. Included is the finding video, plus some of @kkatieclarkk's finds and a piece of petrified wood with a leggy friend traveler #rock #rocks #rockhounding #washington #agate #agates #chalcedony #sicila #carnelian #carnelianagate #wood #petrifiedwood #geology #mineral #minerals #crystal #crystals #quartz #druzy #botryoidal #pnw #nature https://www.instagram.com/p/B_tNUOqnhek/?igshid=fq7p4q6usrma

Garnets! Little tiny (1/2 mm) crystals on what I believe is epidote alongside stilbite and other needly looking zeolites from a skarn outcrop in Washington state not far from Vancouver. The chunk of matrix is about a handful. Love the colors from these initially drab looking rocks. There is also native copper and other copper related minerals that occur at this locality, though I didn't end up getting much because there were some men with guns eager to get back to shooting rocks, apparently. With @pnw_rocktography (let me know if I got any of this wrong!) @passthebinger and @pigeonmasterlefou666 a few months ago. #garnet #garnets #rocks #rockhounding #washington #rock #agates #silica #quartz #mineral #minerals #geology #stone #stones #crystal #crystals #rockhound #epidote #copper #zeolites #micominerals #microphotography. #stilbite (at Carnelian Coffee) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvXY7YiBdn8/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=6l1odd2stl76

Laumontite crystals displayed in water to keep them clear and from turning into dust at the slightest disturbance! These zeolites were dug from a pocket mostly by @pnw_rocktography at a locality near Yacolt, Washington on Tuesday. Me and @passthebinger went through his tailings to pull these nice specimens. To keep them hydrated at my coffee shop @carneliancoffee, I put them in these much-too-adorable glass vials found at Joanne fabrics of all places! #crystal #crystals #zeolite #zeolites #rocks #rock #hydrated #silica #geology #mineralogy #rockhounding #washington #rockhound #mineral #minerals (at Carnelian Coffee) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bp-ECq0ANA6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mmuia017fijy

A better shot of my best find from Monday. I'll not be trying to get the staining out of this, as it pops so nicely where the crystals overlap. Float find from Hansen Creek, Washington. #crystal #crystals #minerals #mineral #quartz #cluster #rock #rocks #rockhounding #washington #geology #silica (at Carnelian Coffee) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnpAiJKHujw/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1mnaynhd4em8a

First ever visit to Hansen Creek yielded great results with almost no actual digging! Rain exposed tons of great float material including some little DTs and a sweet pair with amazing staining that I failed to get a good picture of in the field. Big thanks and a fantastic day off with @kkatieclarkk, @olivemadeachoice, @little_the_pomeranian, Tootsie and Jamie who is a great human who I am not sure has an IG for herself. #crystals #crystal #quartz #mineral #minerals #rock #rockhounding #washington #bakersnoqualmie #hansencreek #dog #dogs #pomeranian #doxies #dachshund #weinerdogs #minidachshunds (at Hansen Creek) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnouFLrH31q/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=lxfncusfqeqg

Somewhat fat, extremely river worn quartz point from Denny Creek just now. This bodes well for the rest of the day, but not so sure about the rain... #crystal #crystals #minerals #mineral #quartz #rock #rocks #rockhounding #washington #geology #dennycreek (at Denny Creek Campground) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnjeprEn2j6/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=t35i7c3jpy9y

I don't mean to reference R Kelly in this day and age, but uh... I'm about to break y'all off a few previews of the Heulandite: peachy pockets of huge crystals dug yesterday in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest with @pnw_rocktography. Second day this week hounding in Washington state! Updates on both trips soon. #crystal #crystals #minerals #mineral #zeolites #zeolite #heulandite #pocket #mining #rockhounding #washington #geology #rockhound #peach #giffordpinchotnationalforest (at Gifford Pinchot National Forest)

Stunning baseball size pyromorphite with who knows how many other minerals included on this very heavy lead ore that my dad @portwes found on the Spokane property he grew up on that he just sold. He figures this specimen is from Idaho. The green color of the crystals cannot be exaggerated! What a fantastic piece, I hope to learn more about it someday. #crystals #crystals #rocks #geology #rockhounding #washington #idaho #pyromorphite #greencrystals #greencrystals #specimen (at Pyro's Wicked Wiches)

Missoula floods deposits, a big crazy mix of material from here to Montana and British Columbia. Found a few agates in the 15 minutes or so we were here, but I could easily spend hours if I were allowed. #rocks #geology #formation #gravel #missoulafloods #Missoula #gravelpit #rock #rockhounding #Washington #rockhound #pnw #nwgeology

Check out this bonkers lava tube formation in a Washington quarry; scale is it's friggin huge. Very blue groundwater I'm assuming is saturated with minerals overlaying Troutdale formation deposits. I don't know though. #rocks #geology #formation #quarry #nwgeology #lavatube #rock #basalt #andesite #Washington

A couple glittery/crystaly things from St Cloud Park in Washington, in the Columbia Gorge. 2015, I think,

Luke Mahan | twitter | instagram