Grandma kerns agate beds1 black donalds dervish from celtic river. Fairburn agate beds fairburn agate, rocks and gems, stones and. Fairburn agate the south dakota gemstone the rock shed. The collection on the subsequent pages is the culmination of not just my hunting efforts, but my dad larry muehl and my aunt and uncle, loretta and paul muehl. French creek campground fairburn, south dakota free. Fairburn agate south dakota state gemstone roger clark on. Learn more opens in a new window or tab any international shipping is paid in part to pitney bowes inc. The fire destroyed much of the organic matter on the soil surface and exposed nodules of agate exposed at the surface in areas that were previously unknown to agate collectors. Also found in the same area are banded jasper, rose quartz, prairie agate, blue chalcedony, bubble gum agate, puddingstone. A variety of fortification agate a unique and rare variety of fortification agate from fairburn, custer co.
At any rate, south dakota fairburn agates are plains agates mostly to the south and east of the black hills and mostly associated with terrace gravels along streams andor conglomerate. It is very unlikely that you would ever find an exact duplicate of any type of agate. Agates from the oral, south dakota gravel pit are often very similar to tepee canyon. The collection on the subsequent pages is the culmination of not just my hunting efforts, but my dad larry muehl. We love to go rock and fossil hunting and know that hunting agates is an art. The rest of the agate is unpolished, and the pattern crops out a bit on the backside of the wedgeshaped agate.
Fairburn agate can be found from orella, nebraska, to farmingdale, south dakota. The fairburn agate is the south dakota state gemstone. Opaque stones that are called agates include crazy lace agate, fire agate, tree agate and sardonyx. South dakota also recognizes an official state jewelry black hills gold, and a state mineral stone rose quartz. Gc1whnh fairburn agate beds earthcache in south dakota. These fine specimens feature a variety of colors, gorgeous bands, and beautiful windows you can gaze into. Large polished agate with fine banding patterns in white to gray on medium dark. Most people know about the agate beds east of fairburn but you can. The fairburn agate beds are located about 12miles east of the town of fairburn, sd i give gsp coordinates at the end of this post. Learn more opens in a new window or tab any international shipping and import charges are paid in part to pitney bowes inc. Fairburn agate bed cache gc206mh was created by jedi cacher on 10232009.
It has great fairburn agate banding as well as neat crystal areas. At any rate, south dakota fairburn agates are plains agates mostly to the south and east of the black hills and mostly associated with terrace gravels along streams andor conglomerate beds and lag deposits on top of the eoceneoligocene white river group chadron formation or perhaps the underlying eocene chamberlain pass formation. Agate bookends, blue agate bookends, rock formation, large geode bookends, open geode, bookends 23. The fairburn agate beds are located about 12 miles ne of the town of fairburn in custer county sd. The most sought after agate from south dakota is fairburn agate. If you are looking to buy a fairburn agate check out the fairburn agates for sale facebook page. The named is derived from the greek word that means spotted stone. There are new agates almost daily and if youre quick you can snag a good one for a reasonable price. D department of environment and natural resources denr does not keep statistics on the fairburn agate. That being said, some of the agates pictured here could easily fetch several hundred dollars and some well over grand. Fairburns are a unique fortification agate first discovered near the villiage of fairburn, south dakota.
South dakota state gemstone are in print and published by silverwind agates. It is very unlikely that you would ever find an exact duplicate of any type of agate, fairburn or other. This is the true original location of the fairburn agate, named for the town for which it these exceptional agates were first found. South dakota state gemstone fairburn agate the gem. This one has different yellow and gray colors in the banding with an interesting design. They are world renowned for their unique translucent beauty, but no ones ever seen them quite like james magnuson and carol wood. This short post, mostly pictures, shows the pleasant afternoon that we enjoyed at fairburn. This one has nice banding in different shades of brown and tan around the nearly clear center and measures almost 2 x over 1 34 x 1 14. Purple agate bookends with brazilian quartz geode from bull city gems. Ag21 1c this is a very nice south dakota fairburn agate.
Fairburn agates are neighbors to lake superior agates, and are found in the vicinity of fairburn, south dakota. Formed in pennsylvanianpermian carbonate sediments and weathered out since oligocene around the black hills. South dakota rocks south dakota minerals i oakrocks. This area has given up many many fairburns, and should continue for years to come. Rare and gorgeous, we have only found a few so far were calling the fairburn above cyclops, for the one big red eye, couple of nostrils below.
This is the true original location of the fairburn agate, named for the town for which it. Fairburn agate south dakota state gemstone paperback january 1, 2009 by roger clark author visit amazons roger clark page. The purpose of this book is to share the authors deep appreciation for agates and thereby promote the pleasure and. Fairburn, south dakota is a small town located at the dividing. According to the united states census bureau, the town has a total area of 0. The fairburn agate, south dakotas official state gemstone, is a beautiful representation of geological mastery. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search.
A location that ranks higher than 75% of its peers would be in the 75th percentile of the peer group. The rock shed features rock tumblers, polished rock, minerals, fossils, spheres, gemstone beads, amber beads and gold specimens as well as agate bookends, crushed rock and grit. Fairburn agates southern vicinity of black hills, south dakota here are the famous or infamous if you prefer fairburn agates, highly sough by the american collectors for their wide range of. Each piece is subtly one of a kind, bringing a little jeweltoned beauty to bookshelves, desks and consoles. Ag301b this is a nice larger fairburn agate from south dakota. Ag102c this is a very nice fairburn agate from near fairburn, south dakota. It is named after a city 10 miles to the west of the deposit in custer county. Fairburn agates south dakotas worldfamous fairburn agates. Many collectors talk of the old days when the best sites were located around fairburn, south dakota. Fairburn agates southern vicinity of black hills, south dakota here are the famous or infamous if you prefer fairburn agates, highly sough by the american collectors for their wide range of bold colors and patterns. Agates mostly occur as nodules in volcanic rocks or waters containing silica in solution which is possibly derived from the decomposition of silicates in the lava.
There are new agates almost daily and if youre quick you can snag a good one for a. The town was named from its location on a stream, burn being a scottish word meaning creek. Agate photos are taken in a studio setting under studio lights. All agate photos are taken in a studio setting under studio lights. Ag210 b this is a nice smaller fairburn agate from south dakota.
Agate is defined by its translucency ability to see light through it, and by its clearly defined pattern or banding of. There is lots of erosion taking place in this area because of the badland landscape. For a full discussion, read the chapters in roger clarks new book, fairburn agate, gem of south dakota. The state gem of south dakota and a highly prized find among rock hunters, fairburn agates get their name from the town near which they are most commonly found. Bk15 fairburn agate the south dakota gemstone by roger clark. Freds agate hunting expertise is well known, at least by me, since he usually finds all the best agates.
Here is another very nice fairburn agate from south dakota. They were formed approximately 300 million years ago in an ancient limestone bed of an inland sea. This colorful thin banded agate was named the state gemstone in 1966. Jul 30, 2016 fairburn agates are a form of microcrystalline chalcedony, 100% silicon dioxide with a hardness of 6. In the literature, fairburn agates are reported as quite scarce, and highly prized by collectors. Fred and i, have been agate hunters as well as fossil hunters for years. Learn more opens in a new window or tab international shipping paid to pitney bowes inc. Book one is south dakotas fairburn agate is only available on the used book circuit.
The fire destroyed much of the organic matter on the. Each piece is subtly one of a kind, bringing a little jeweltoned beauty to bookshelves, desks and. For agate collectors who are already intrigued and inspired with the beauty and mysterious origin of agates, this book has all of the latest scientific research. Fairburn is tiny town with less than 100 people 30 miles south of rapid city. I love rocks just as much as you all and hope you will share your finds here. The fairburn agate is a rare agate that is found in many colors and variations of banding. It measures nearly 1 78 x over 1 12 x almost 1 58 thick with a natural finish. The purpose of this book is to share the authors deep appreciation for agates and thereby promote the pleasure and enjoyment of their intrinsic beauty. It is beyond the scope of this page to cover all of the tendencies, plus we are still learning.
No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. They are also called fortification agates because of their banding. The fairburn agate is a type of gemstone found in the agate beds of south western south dakota and northwestern nebraska. Horse mountain iris agate this looks so much like an opal with all that flash and. Fairburn agates are beautiful, banded gemstones found primarily in south dakotas black hills and also in parts of nebraska and wyoming. Most people know about the agate beds east of fairburn but you can actually find a fairburn agate starting south of rapid city a few miles clear down into the nebraska grasslands. These agate bookends are dyed and polished to reveal naturally occurring patterned rings. Fairburn agates can be found in nebraska and south dakota. Due to natural materials used, exact sizes may vary. Most people know about the agate beds east of fairburn but you can actually find a. Agate is defined by its translucency ability to see light through it, and by its clearly defined pattern or banding of multiple colors. Fairburn agate beds gc1whnh was created by jedi cacher on 7292009.
This super fairburn agate is very nice and would be the centerpiece to many collections. Fairburn agate is used in jewelry and is a favorite of rock collectors. Jun 17, 2012 book one is south dakota s fairburn agate is only available on the used book circuit. International shipping and import charges paid to pitney bowes inc. Its a not chosen size geocache, with difficulty of 2, terrain of 3. Special guest article from showme rockhounds club members dan and connie snow fairburn agates are a form of microcrystalline chalcedony, 100% silicon dioxide with a. This piece measures 2 12 x 2 55 x 1 78 and has a natural unpolished surface. The fairburn agate is found in many colors and variations of banding. Hills agate about 10 years ago, a large forest fire swept through the western black hills of south dakota just to the west of jewel cave. Why do so many people flock to south dakota to search for these rocks. Fairburn and other south dakota agates the rock shed. This page offers information about the south dakota state gemstone, fairburn. A post office has been in operation in fairburn since. Gem of south dakota, and number three, fairburn agate.
To get credit for this find you must correctly answer the following 7 questions by emailing your answers, so please do not post them. The fairburn agate was designated as south dakotas state gemstone on february 11, 1966. Fairburn ranks in the upper quartile for diversity index when compared to the other cities, towns and census designated places cdps in south dakota. The table below compares fairburn to the other 393 incorporated cities, towns and cdps in south dakota by rank and percentile using july 1, 2019 data.
522 783 1538 419 1057 1118 595 877 955 1119 1552 1154 57 1528 560 1440 1396 926 1193 245 1532 1158 1048 1602 429 1339 787 974 1506 827 137 867 642 45 389 30 553 1475 225 586 896 1031 900