Metal Detecting discussions and finds

Did someone say obsidian?


If you pay postage, I’ll send you some.

Collecting rocks of all sorts is a hobby my wife and I share. Most of these come from Glass Buttes in eastern Oregon, and near Mammoth Mountain, CA. There are a few collecting places in SW Arizona and there’s Obsidian Butte near the SE side of the Salton Sea in California.

If you want to go collecting it, here’s a website showing sources all over the US: http://www.sourcecatalog.com/image_maps/image_maps.html#az

 

I read of a surgeon that made his own scalpels from obsidian, and he had a operation and asked them to use his tools because the cuts would be cleaner and heal better with less scaring.

 

Lemmeknow if you need more obsidian. Got it around here by the truckload.

 

is it easy to find? I might take you up on that!

thanks also! I might take you up on that also. Where did you find yours?

 

I don't possess any, but know several outcroppings.

 

Is it near you? Got any pics?

 

Hobbs, we got some there near Mammoth, it had a lot of pumice in it, but its pretty with red and black. Have you seen a good spot without pumice mixed in near you? That ruins it for knapping.

 

The Obsidian Dome near Mammoth is an hour away, but a large area around Mammoth has obsidian on the ground.
Truman Meadows 1.5 hours north has extraordinary amounts and I suspect that it is cleaner than the Mammoth stuff.
I know a guy who knaps points, I'll ask him where he sources.

 

We have a lot of rough pieces we collected, and this is my best - polished rainbow obsidian from Glass Buttes, Oregon- a public collecting area.

 

Prob not too keen on national parks. Glass mountain looks cool

 

Glad to hear you wont collect on NP’s, wish more did that! The maps I linked were for archaeological Native American obsidian sources - some are still collecting areas today.

 

Yeah i like collecting but dont want prison time...

 

Id be in for some bigger chunks.

 

I’ll PM you - And let me see what will fit in a flat rate postage box.

 

were they easy to find? Id be stoked to find big pieces

 

Flint is another one that interests me.

 

The black pieces were very easy to find at Glass Buttes in eastern Oregon, the rainbow pieces are rare. I have not been to Obsidian Butte (the site in SE California) but it has a lot of materials, too.

(I’ll PM you the other details)

 

Sent pm

 

Went back to that canyon and truck trail on the Cleveland NF today, it climbs up the side of Palomar Mtn. It’s really nice. My taco had fun on it. Tried detecting over bedrock and behind boulders in a small stream, got 1 rusty can where that big gold nugget should have been behind a nice little waterfall, and more bird shot. Obviously not gold country but beautiful anyways. There are some old fire rings along the stream near some oaks I saw across the canyon away from the existing road, so they must be old because it would be hard to carry a cooler over there! I will have to try those spots tomorrow maybe just to look for old stuff.

 

The old fire rings sound like a good spot. Certainly worth a try.