Geode Hunting 

Thank you! It's a spectacular area. I'm hoping to come up again very soon and explore your side of the river, as I hear Keokuk has the best geodes.

It doesn't get better than that!

+Geoff Jacobs Hi Geoff. Thanks! You've come to the right place because I'm crazy about them too! So, the problem is you have to find a saw that can accommodate a blade big enough to cut a geode (some of them get pretty big!) I think a good minimum size for a diamond blade is 14" (allows you to cut almost a 7" geode). You can get one of these for around $50. The saw itself costs a bit more. The cheapest lapidary saw that fits a 14" blade is around $700. On top of that, the cheapest lap polisher I know of is around $400. There is always the option of buying used equipment. What I always recommend, and what I've done in the past, is find a local university that has a geology department. Most departments at larger schools have a saw room and they tend to be friendly about letting the public use it, with supervision and instruction from faculty. Summer is a good time to call them too because they probably aren't too busy and have more time to assist you. Hope this helps! Tim

Snot Otter Awesome, thanks!

+Scott Davis Thank you! You sure can, but typically you'll need a diamond-tipped rock saw, and even then that quartz is a real pain to cut through!

The area around Nauvoo, IL and Keokuk, IA is the best place I've ever been for geodes! In my experience, limestones are the best for finding geodes, but you can also find them in volcanic rocks like basalt. The easiest way to tell if a rock is a geode is to break it open with a hammer, but it will also be suspiciously round, sometimes bumpy, and will feel light. A lot of the colored geodes are artificially colored with dye, and there are good recipes online to do this. But I think the slices you are thinking of that have the nice color bands are geodes that have agate inside which come in several brilliant natural colors. Hope this helps! Tim

+Jakob Cackowski Thanks man! I like to think I do haha.

+Snot Otter how does one tell if a geode is a geode and not a rock?

+Luis Hernandez They're usually pretty spherical, like a ball. They're also much lighter than other rocks because the insides are typically hollow. Of course the best way to tell is to smash it open!

+Snot Otter thanks

+101perspective Great question! I actually do saw some geodes occasionally, but I prefer to crack them open instead because some minerals like calcite will cleave when broken, leaving a nice crystal face which a saw would cut right through. I think it's a slightly more natural look. But this is just my personal preference, and I agree that sawing them generally leaves more complete chunks.

Snot Otter Thanks for the info.

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed

Thanks! I haven't had a chance to visit the Mojave Desert, but I think there's a somewhat famous place around Blythe, California. Here's a good web page I found that may be helpful: www.desertusa.com/desert-prospecting/hauser-geode-beds.html

+Cross_Over Woah, I see it too haha. RIP leaves.

John Lawson I use saws for some things, but I like the "cracked" look for geoded

Some of the music was copyrighted. I'm going to make a new geode video soon!

They're usually pretty round, but the best giveaway is that they will feel much lighter than other rocks because it's hollow inside. Of course, the easiest way to tell is to smash it open with a hammer!

You can use a ballpinghammer

Ethan Elliott I was about too say that too

I agree ...Sometime geodes have other minerals that are badly damaged to cutting...

+oh yeah Hey man, at least the whole video wasn't horrible. I'll take it!

+Snot Otter You ever find any arrowheads when you're Geode hunting??

+Geoff Jacobs Sadly no. I always keep my eyes open, but the only place I've ever found arrowheads was in Nevada.

Nevada arrowheads would be the coolest!!

+Snot Otter No, the whole video was horrible.

Thank you!