Rockhounding Utah For Blue Agates Formed in a Calcite Host

The mountains surrounding the small town of Central, Utah are a great place to rockhound. There, Shadow and I search for and find beautiful blue agates. Unlike many agates we have found in Southern Utah, these agates were formed in a calcite host as opposed to a volcanic host. Agates form when geothermal activity washes water mixed with Silica into the cavities of a host rock. Over many years, layers of silica harden under heat and pressure into what is commonly called calcedony. An agate is a member of the calcedony family and is translucent or transparent, and often shows banding. These agates are just that: translucent or transparent with signs of banding. Shadow and I have been here rockhounding before and have gathered and polished some samples. At the end of the video we show these previously tumbled and polished samples.
At the end of the video, we also test the rocks we gathered using a Mohs Hardness Test Kit and Hydrochloric Acid. The agates tested at 7.5 on the Mohs scale. The calcite host tested softer than 3. We proved the host was calcite based by applying hydrochloric acid and observing the effervescent reaction.
Rockhounding is a wonderful hobby. I am an amateur. I have learned much over the years, but continue to learn more from others who post informative videos on youtube, from many excellent books, and from gaining more experience. Shadow and I hope you enjoy coming along with us. We invite you to come along on future Adventures of Shadow.

[@tott3457]

Thank you for showing us finding, The rocks to polished rocks. Beautiful finds!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Thank YOU for watching and commenting. Shadow is wagging his tail!

[@jeytex3161]

I will do my best to get some sort of gps if I can. Otherwise will try my best to describe. Appreciate your videos!

[@Colleen858]

Utah is one place I have never been. My Husband and I don’t travel too much anymore. Thanks to you and Shadow for sharing your trips ❤

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Hi Colleen! As always, thank you for watching and commenting! Utah is indeed a great place for rockhounds, as is your State of Nevada. Take care!

[@marlaranney4883]

You and Shadow keep me soooooooo entertained, Lance! Thank you for sharing! 😁👍

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Shadow is wagging his tail as your comment made him very happy!

[@collenemeeks5212]

Pretty stuff.

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Thanks Collene!

[@utahrockhoundingcouple]

We were out in that same area last year for the first time. This gives us some ideas for our next visit! So glad for the channel suggestion by Currently Rockhounding!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Thanks for watching and commenting. I’m very honored that Jared @currentlyrockhounding suggested my channel. I learn so much from him and his channel. He is amazing! If you are interested, please watch the video below as I think it might be one of the best areas I’ve found and one worth your time when you come next. Thanks again! kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5LQXntpe9uElaMsi=-bDg4Ts7fMt4u_k6

[@brigittewalden9226]

Thanks for this video. I've been to Central , Utah once but I think I was on the other side of that transfer station. So I'll use your directions on my next trip!!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Let me know if you need more specific directions.

[@jeytex3161]

Appreciate your adventures and this one has me interested! I plan to go this Thursday and try my hand at finding the blue. I don’t know if you have explored on the opposite direction towards Pine Valley along the Santa Clara river. My understanding is you can find blue lined geodes. Going to try my luck there as well. Happy hunting!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Hey @jeytex3161, good to hear from you! Thanks for the tip! I will go there and give it a try. Any particular spots you can recommend? With regards to the spot in my video, I had my best luck within 20 yards of each side of the dirt road that runs North and South. Good luck and I hope you hit the jack pot!

[@jeytex3161]

I spent the day searching to no avail. Beautiful day, great trails. Second location I decided not to venture trail was heavy rock and I didn’t want to get back in there alone if a problem occurred. May try to hike in sometime.

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Sorry to hear you didn’t find anything, but glad it was a beautiful day for you.

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

Those are some beautiful Agates for sure! So far down south from S.L though...but gonna have to make the trip for sure before it gets too hot! While down there, I need to study up on other rockhound areas to visit. Is there any chance remembering the name of the dirt road you took & how far in. I would much appreciate any help. Thank you! Great video!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Here are the GPS coordinates of where I parked. I had my best luck looking along the dirt road and anywhere within about 20 yards of either side of the road. 37°25'05"N 113°38'50"W Let me know if I can help you further!

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

@@adventuresofshadowdog thank you! So kind of you! I was just showingvmy wife this video of this beautiful agate after polishing. We were in awe & are both excited to find time to get down there before it gets too hot! Thanks again! Blessings to your family...

[@dreamlookautodetailingauto3353]

​@adventuresofshadowdog The coordinates you gave me says Google can't find, but also brings up somewhere In Peru?? Don't think I can drive there from here. Ha!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Okay. Try putting these into Google maps: (37.4180208, -113.6474048) That should work. Exact same location, but different format.

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Feel free to to send me an email and we can exchange contact info. There are lots of places to Rockhound in this general area, some better than others. [e-mail]

[@EndgameCampers]

Wow! #masterstoryteller

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Thanks Dave!

[@timothygee8566]

Do you live in St George area. My wife and I have just started rockhounding and would like to "pick you brain" so to speak about some places to go locally. We live in Washington county

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Yes I do. Feel free to shoot me an email: [e-mail]

[@anitahedgecock1968]

😊

[@shaymom28]

Hey there! Thank you for sharing your adventures! I had a question, can the agates formed in calcite be put in acid? Does the acid take away all of the calcite? Thanks!

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Hi there! I have never tried to dissolve all the calcite away with acid. So I don’t have an answer for you. I usually just put them in a tumbler and let the tumbling process wear away the softer material. Maybe somebody else who reads this comment string might have something to add. Thanks for watching!

[@shaymom28]

@@adventuresofshadowdog ok thank you! On a side note, do you have any idea where crazy lace hill is? I’ve heard it’s around there somewhere, I’d love to find some!

[@josephcase3105]

It doesn't look like calcite at all . Looks more like limestone , it may also contain some calcite because the diatomes that make up the mix can be a mixture of quartz and calcite and other clear to white minerals . It's good your running tests if you end up inconclusive you can always perform other tests and also microscopes and so forth.

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

Thank you very much for your informative comment. Perhaps you can help me further. My understanding is that "Calcite" is a carbonate mineral found in many rocks, Limestone being one of them. Does that make Limestone a Calcite in the sense of classification? Is there a "Calcite" based family or grouping of rocks? Any help you can offer on the proper use of the word "calcite" is appreciated. Again, thank you for the excellent comment.

[@josephcase3105]

It's a lot to unpack an I'm be no means an expert but if I see something I can confirm or at least be pretty certain of I'll let ya know . I watch a lot of shows dealing with rocks and minerals and I learn a lot by watching and absorbing the info but if what I learned was wrong then I'd also be learning other ppl wrong . So it's best to be careful of my assumptions.

[@adventuresofshadowdog]

I too am by no means an expert. So, we are learning together! One thing I have learned is that rock identification is not always easy as rocks are often a blend of several things. Again, I do appreciate your comments and hope you join me and Shadow on future rockhounding adventures.