Tidgy's Dad Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Day Three; Locality Two (or Nine if you include Days One and Two) Tizi n'Tichka Pass, High Atlas Morocco 21st February 2019. Continuing on from Ait Benhaddou along the valley we see sedimentary layers which seem to be a mix of alluvial deposits, volcanic ash and lava flows. Many of these contain crystals, but no fossils as far as I know. Suddenly, to the south, the snow-covered peaks of the High Atlas Mountains appear like a cloud bank in the distance. A close up of a road cutting along route. River flood plain and storm deposits? The road winds slowly up into the mountains. The top of the pass is 2,260 metres above sea level ans is thus the highest mountain path in Africa. The surrounding peaks are often much higher, Toubkal being the highest, at 4,167 metres, but possible for all to walk up if you have the time and energy. 7 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 6, 2019 Author Share Posted May 6, 2019 A bit further on is a layby, truck-stop, resting point, or whatever, that has been largely colonized by fossil and mineral shops. The shops opposite are now mostly closed, due to the high speed of traffic on the road and large boulders having smashed some of them. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 6, 2019 Author Share Posted May 6, 2019 It is possible to go prospecting for geodes, rocks, crystals and minerals around here, though probably best to hire a local guide, I wouldn't know where to begin. Also, there are no fossils to be found. The shop and stallholders here are particularly aggressive, not violent, but pushy and sometimes rude, especially if you can understand Arabic and Amazigh. Frankly, it somewhat puts me off, even out Moroccan friends got annoyed with them. In the season the prices are as high as the pass itself, so i really wouldn't bother, but out od season, such as February when everyone is freezing cold, there are very few tourists, and the proprietors are hungry and desperate, with a bit of haggling great bargains are to be had, especially of you like the local minerals. Fossils are not local, despite what some of the sellers may claim, so prices are a bit higher, but most of the fossils are genuine and i did purchase one cheap little thing. Here we can see quartz geodes, selenite and other forms of gypsum, calcite, baryte, and a nice Devonian trilobite, all local, except for the bug : The blue bit is azurite with a tinge of green malachite. They also make pots locally. Don't know what this is, Anouar saw it and took the photo. Some of the geodes contain unusual crystals, but some are dyed, sprayed or covered in glitter. Most up here seemed real, though. Looks a bit like galena, but does that form in this type of geode? 5 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caldigger Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 Is this a high altitude Moroccan working on his suntan outside those abandoned stores? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notidanodon Posted May 6, 2019 Share Posted May 6, 2019 nice 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 6, 2019 Author Share Posted May 6, 2019 20 hours ago, caldigger said: Is this a high altitude Moroccan working on his suntan outside those abandoned stores? You know, I never noticed him, either at the time or looking at the pictures, but wifey saw him when she took the picture, he was staring right at her, an old man, no idea what he was doing there, no one actually lives there, I don't think. I really must get some better glasses. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimravis Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 That was a beautiful geode Adam. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 7, 2019 Author Share Posted May 7, 2019 13 hours ago, will stevenson said: nice Thank you! I've added more pictures above and a few more will be coming below. 18 minutes ago, Nimravis said: That was a beautiful geode Adam. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 7, 2019 Author Share Posted May 7, 2019 Well, it would seem that Anouar took a lot of photos of the crystals on just one stall before he was hassled out of the place. He did take one photo of a fossil from another stall. These ammonites will be from south west of here, between Marrakech and Agadir, perhaps. The crystals in the middle are vanadinite, I think. 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brett Breakin' Rocks Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 23 hours ago, Tidgy's Dad said: It is possible to go prospecting for geodes, rocks, crystals and minerals around here, though probably best to hire a local guide, I wouldn't know where to begin. Adam, My phone has been a poor poor window for viewing these amazing photographs. Thank you for letting us ride along and get a peek at an amazing and beautiful landscape. My computer monitor is sooooo much better. Thanks, Brett 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy B Posted May 7, 2019 Share Posted May 7, 2019 Very good stuff! Thanks for posting. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 On 5/7/2019 at 2:09 AM, Brett Breakin' Rocks said: Adam, My phone has been a poor poor window for viewing these amazing photographs. Thank you for letting us ride along and get a peek at an amazing and beautiful landscape. My computer monitor is sooooo much better. Thanks, Brett Thank you, Brett. i agree, i can't see a thing on those phone devices especially with my ever worsening eyesight. Cheers, Adam. On 5/7/2019 at 2:16 PM, Andy B said: Very good stuff! Thanks for posting. Thank you so much, Andy. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Kmiecik Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 I love the photos from the mineral and fossil vendors. That desert rose is monstrous!!!! Keep the pics coming. 1 Mark. Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 1 hour ago, Mark Kmiecik said: I love the photos from the mineral and fossil vendors. That desert rose is monstrous!!!! Keep the pics coming. Thank you, Mark! i shall as I did purchase one fossil here, though it does come from elsewhere, most likely from Jbel Ougnat. Top Tip : Out of season, these vendors are desperate for sales. They will hassle you but keep walking away, let them lower the prices, compete against each other and then offer what you are prepared to pay less a little. Keep walking away. Finally, come back and give your best offer saying it's the only offer and that's it. Top Tip. Buying these Cambrian trilobites can be tricky, there are a lot of fakes, composites, resin bits are added etc. If you do go for one, go for one that has the whole piece, positive and negative of the specimen. Make sure the two halves match. This is much harder to fake. Anyway, this is not the biggest or best example of the type, but I got it for a song and am happy as to its authenticity. I think it's a little Cambropallas telesto from the Lower Middle Cambrian but my track record with these is not the best. Scott? @piranha 1 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 9, 2019 Author Share Posted May 9, 2019 The positive with a scale in cm. And the negative : Cephalon detail : Thorax : Pygidium: 4 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 11, 2019 Share Posted June 11, 2019 Did you ever get comfirmation of the ID on the trilo above? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted June 11, 2019 Author Share Posted June 11, 2019 16 minutes ago, Wrangellian said: Did you ever get comfirmation of the ID on the trilo above? No, but I'm fairly certain that it's Cambropallas telesto. So it probably isn't. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 I get that feeling all the time. There's one way to find out for sure... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 1 hour ago, Wrangellian said: I get that feeling all the time. There's one way to find out for sure... Ask it? Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 Ask @piranha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted June 12, 2019 Author Share Posted June 12, 2019 7 hours ago, Wrangellian said: Ask @piranha I already did. (See a few posts above.) Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 12, 2019 Share Posted June 12, 2019 Oh, I missed that... maybe he did too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranha Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 I agree on Cambropallas ..sorry for the late reply! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted June 13, 2019 Author Share Posted June 13, 2019 4 hours ago, piranha said: I agree on Cambropallas ..sorry for the late reply! Not a problem. I got one right, so I'm quite happy. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wrangellian Posted June 13, 2019 Share Posted June 13, 2019 5 hours ago, piranha said: I agree on Cambropallas ..sorry for the late reply! Where do you get those emoticons? Love it, reminds me of the 'Technical Difficulties' graphic that Stephen Colbert used to use on his old show. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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