Believe it or not, these are thundereggs from the Haida Gwaii! They could be called flow-stretched lithophysae, aka thundereggs. Geologically, they are likely considered axiolites as some similar material (but smaller) from the USA have been used to determine flow direction in rhyolitic lava flows. These are massive pieces with the smallest one in photo above 6 inches across. The one to the left is 18 inches tall and the big one that looks like a teddy-bear is 31 inches tall and weighs about 150 lbs! Luckily/unfortunately it was naturally broken into 3 pieces, allowing me to get it out. Some restoration work yet to do on it. These specimens are possibly incredibly rare as I am not familiar with flow-stretched lithophysae of this size. There appear to be some that may be over 3 feet long. The site is difficult to work as it is at the base of a fractured and collapsing rock bluff, however much more work can be done at this site as it has a lot of potential for this material as well as thundereggs, blue rhyolite (for tables), moon-scaped bubble rock, as well as Zebra Stone (see below). I only discovered this site in July so I apologize for the poor photo above. I do believe/hope some of these specimens, when restored and/or cleaned well will be going to museums. It is always a thrill and an honor to be able to find a new stone. This one really surprised me – it was during a heat wave and the area around the outcrop was shadowy due to second-growth trees. I was simply expanding my search area from the known road location and walked up to the base of a cliff and saw an indentation. I looked inside and saw what you see above – an exotic-looking, blue-glowing stone that I had no idea at first as to what it was. It was an incredibly exciting moment. As you will see below, this stone compares well with Angelite and has a soothing feel to it – which at the time of my discovery was really necessary for me.Close-up of the 6 inch, near-complete specimen from the first photo above. These are really interesting pieces. About 16 inch long and 30 lbs heavy double thunderegg with faces polished. Note the fracturing and brecciation on the faces. Drusy fill on inside. The blue really shows up well on this photo. This specimen reminds me of the pods on the Aliens movies. For you lapidary enthusiasts, I have cut some of these specimens but the face-cuts are heavily fractured (see photo above) due to how the specimens formed (the silica was hardening as it moved, therefore fracturing in the process). On the above specimen I tried to grind down through the side “bubbles” and found that there is a nice blue-grey (with tones of green and lavender) jasper here that polishes to a high gloss. The mineral responsible for the color may be celadonite or pectolite, however this material is very hard and is slightly scratched by topaz and corrundum, thus it may not be celadonite or pectolite, but something new (maybe a new gemstone?). This piece is 6 inches tall. The color is elusive at times as it appears quite blue in some light, but lacks the blue in other light. The lavender or green can dominate in other light or it can appear washed out.Direct comparison of the thunderegg coloration vs Pectolite or Larimar Stone. I know this is not the richest example of Larimar Stone. The thunderegg has a richer color in this example but does not have the internal “eye-like” patterns within. Both are volcanic silicate minerals.Comparison of Larimar Stone to the thunderegg material. Note the lavender really shows out on this specimen in this outdoor overcast lighting.Comparison to good quality piece of Larimar Stone. These are quite different – the violet standing out in the thunderegg material against the blue color and eye-texture of the Larimar.This may be the best comparison of the thunderegg material to known stones. The smaller specimen here is Angelite – essentially anhydrite, which is a combination of calcium, sulfur, and oxygen. The colors are similar and both stones have a similar “feel” to them – they are both soothing. Another comparison of Angelite to thunderegg material. Note that although there are some healed fractures on the thunderegg piece and one unhealed fracture, this material is very hard and otherwise stable. The Angelite can be damaged if it comes in contact with water as it alters to gypsum. Angelite is also quite soft.This is a section of a long thunderegg. I tried chemically to clean it and then sandblasted it, only to have it look quite dull. For now, I have simply sprayed it to shows its potential. I think sandblasting with a fine grit may work the best. This piece is 6 inches tall.Just found in September! These three thundereggs came from under the cliff where the Teddy Bear specimen came from. They appear to be flow stretched with “heads” to the right and “tails” to the left. The larger specimen is 57 lbs!!The two larger specimens washed off. I will likely not cut these.This is a 7 inch long piece of light blue jasper (ryholite flow rock) that overlies the Monster Thunderegg layer. It polishes really well and has “orb-like” features on it. The blue is in nice contrast with the yellow-brown. There may be some manganese “plume-like” features as well.Close-up of jasper from photo above more clearly showing the “orb-like” features.A different specimen than above that has been polished. Shows nice “orb-like” features, blue to yellow-brown coloration, and I believe manganese “plumes”. The top of the specimen contains many silica “bubbles”. This specimen was found very close to the above flow-stretched thundereggs. This is a nice 7-inch long “Zebra Stone” that is likely obsidian. There is a vast array of material at this untouched site. There are also black thundereggs with blue drusy fill and white thundereggs with drusy and euhedral quartz fill.
