Green Obsidian Nodules

[curious kat]

I wanted to post a picture of the Green Obsidian Nodules that I find around where I live. There's a lot posted online that are "fake" so I wanted to put some "real" ones on, at least the kind I find. Does anyone else find these types? I find them in dark to lighter shades and some that have the "silver sheen" over top, so pretty but also not easy to find. Also find the Black, Red/brown and mixtures. I haven't tumbled these, just the way they come out of the ground. Please let me know if anyone else out there finds them like this? Thanks....

 

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[StoneWhisper]

FYI and for those that didn't know of just forgot.. Green Obsidian is a man made glass like stone very similar to "gold stone". There are only two variations on true obsidian, Black & Brown (Mahoney) or a combination of the two.

As for tumbling obsidian, I've never attempted it but one must take care while doing so because the stone is very glass like and can be very hard to polish and in this case.. if its allready at a usable size and shape and have a slight shine to the stone.. I would leave it be.

 

[curious kat]

Hello StoneWhisper.....sorry but you're wrong. There are more "color's" of Volcanic glass than just black & brown. I live surrounded by old Volcanos and go out all the time and find these "green" ones, they are more rare than the black....but there they are and made by mother nature, not man. I've seen the fake man made ones that are the bright green and these are very different.

 

[hvacker]

Places here in New Mexico there are what's called Apache tears. Black obsidian that's been tumbled by water moving. There not too big, usually 3/8" dia and 3/4" long.

 

[mamabear]

I have tumbled lots of "apache tears" they take well, but I found some did break in the process. But the end result was great. worth a few broken ones. There is a mahogany obsidian that is quite beautiful. I like to put the tumbled stones on the lens of a flashlight that's turned on. If you move the stone around you can usually find striations that show up through the light. I've not seen the color green before. Now I have another stone I have to find.

 

[Bajahunter]

Courious cat
Lots of black apache tears around here.
Never seen green obsidian before.
Thanks for the picture. I always like to see what minerals look like in the raw.

 

[Bajahunter]

hvacker
Apache tears are not obsidian that have been polished by water.
Apache tears are found in perlite which is obsidian that has lost it's water.
They are found in clusters inside perlite. An apache tears cluster kind of resembles pomegranites in makeup.

 

[Bajahunter]

Sorry
Got that backwards.
Perlite is obsidian with lots of extra water.

 

[curious kat]

Hi mamabear, nice to hear from you. Kind of scared to try to tumble them so I just pick up the ones that don't need it that much, you're brave, guess that's why you're "mamabear" ! lol

 

[curious kat]

Hello Bajahunter.....yes these come from the perlite, they become exposed when it rains & snows and I can just find them on the ground and walls of canyon. I've been to TJ a few times in the past, don't know that I'd be brave enough now though, keep safe in your hunting!

 

[BIGSCOTT]

they are already pretty smooth if you want more luster and have a tumbler, use walnut hulls and polish to protect them from breaking, those are real beautys wished i had a place close to find them

 

[Eu_citzen]

There is to my knowledge only one place which features greenish obsidian. Google: "Burns green obsidian".

Are you sure these are obsidian?

 

[curious kat]

Hello Sweden....Yes am very sure, we have a lot of Obsidian in this area. Mostly the Black nodules and red/brown as well. The Green one's are not common, I've only found them in a few area's and I've only seen them here in "nodule" form, not like the Burns Green that seem to be in "slabs or chunks". I would guess that mine are Apache tears that are Green. I do know that there is Green Obsidian in South America, the Aztec's used it, think it's a yellowish green?

 

[BIGSCOTT]

Are they translucent? they look like malachite, or nepherite. whatcha gonna do with em? they would make great jewlery

 

[hvacker]

hvacker
Apache tears are not obsidian that have been polished by water.
Apache tears are found in perlite which is obsidian that has lost it's water.
They are found in clusters inside perlite. An apache tears cluster kind of resembles pomegranites in makeup.

I think you have confused me. I have been in canyons here where the tears are on the ground by themselves, black and glass like, scattered about. I have never seen them in clusters but I have a pomegranates growing in my yard and they don't look anything like those shiny black stones in the canyons. I have not seen the tears with perlite. Are you talking about the perlite I put in flower pots?
BTW did you ever try pomegranates with cream cheese? worth the effort.

 

[BIGSCOTT]

I always found apache tears in pelite also, but hardly ever in clusters, one place was at a place called ruby mountain in the arkansas river valley in colorado, right behind the little village of buena vista
higher up the mountain you could find red garnets galour they to were in perlite and sometimes in clusters and were polyhedral just beautiful right when you dug them but would turn kinda brown
after the air got to them, if ya'll ever go there and want some keepsakes take vials of glycerin oil up the mountain with you and drop the little buggers in right when you dig them and they will keep their
red beautiful color, been many years since i went digging any but i guess it is still on public land, people had tunnles dug all through that little hill.

 

[curious kat]

I know what Bajahunter is talking about when he said the "pomegranite" thing. I've seen the nodules in the perlite all over canyon walls, all the ones I've seen that way were the Black ones. Humm....pomegranites/cream cheese....cream cheese and anything!

 

[curious kat]

Hi Bigscott, Yes they are translucent but dense. But not malachite or nephrite.....Obsidian for sure! Even found some small arrowheads that are made from the green, but of course they are thin, so you can see the translucence much easier. I have "wire wrapped" some of the nodules with copper colored wire, pretty!

 

[Bajahunter]

hvacker
I guess I should say I find most of my apache tears around here in clusters. Once they weather out of the perlite matrix then they can be found individualy. I also see pics where they are alone in the perlte. So the pomegranite cluster is a sometimes thing not an always thing.
Yes it is the same perlite as in your potted plants. New Mexico is one of the largest perlite producing regions in the world. Your state is awash in perlite. You have perlite mines from one end of New Mexico to the other.
So I think it is safe to say you are finding Apache tears and not just broken chunks of obsidisn that have been river polished.
Next time you find some look around on the canyon walls for the layer of perlite. It will be whiteish gray with possibly a tinge of green. It will have the cosistancy of dried out playdough. Easily busted up with a rock hammer.
Courious cat
Do you see any difference in the perlite between where you find the black apace tears and the green ones.

 

[hvacker]

Thanks Balahunter. I'll practice looking up once in a while. I know one place in particular where the tears are found and the canyon has hoodoos that appear to have the material you describe. Can't hammer anything there though, It's become a monument.