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Black Queen Thundereggs
Black Queen Claim,
Little Florida Mountains, New Mexico
Note: "High Rollars, Black Queen and Brick Works" Thundereggs are from the
same claim formally filed to BLM as "Black Queen Claim".

       Situated along the "Sugar Bowl" strike which the thunderegg-enriched pertile/tuff flow occurred in lens (pockets) and the Black Queen pocket is the latest "Sugar Bowl" pocket found. Discovered by his mining partners, the claim was filed by Paul "GeodeKid" Calburn under the official name of "Black Queen". Several mining attempts were made but it turned out that like the original Sugar Bowl mine, the pocket is not big enough for commercial mining efforts. It had been reclaimed despite few further exploratory diggings.
   The unusual thing about the thundereggs themselves is that the color of their shells varies in color and hardness. Toward the southern edge, the thundereggs have red to orange shells while those on the northern edge are brownish similar to those of Sugar Bowl thundereggs. Further to the north, the thunderegg shells are poorly silicified ("rotten shells"). To make the thundereggs even more unusual, high percentage of the thundereggs contain white bladed calcite inclusions in geometric patterns and psilomelane (manganese) inclusions. Scolecite, a zeolite had been noted in a few thundereggs and mentioned in older literatures. Because of such a high percentage of inclusions, banded agates are somewhat scarce in that location. Some large thundereggs had been found, but the best ones are about soft-ball sized or smaller.  They can be distinguished from LaveCapl Thundereggs by the color of their host matrix. Black Queen eggs tend to have darker perlite/tuff while Lava Cap Thundereggs were extracted from white to pale green perlite/tuff.

Site Status: As of Jan 2022: It's under a "Thunder" claim now, please don't trespass/dig without permission!

YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO SEE LARGER PICTURES

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One of most sought type from this location.
White calcite blades sometimes lined with scolecite
Found March 2009
White, black and gray colors, a rare find
poorly silicified shells
Found April 2010
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Found April 2010

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Typical thundereggs with horizontal bands
Found April 2010
Black Psilomaline inclusions, rotten shells
Found April 2010
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Intact Calcite crystals! Some hints of scolecite
Found March 2008
Red Brick colored rhyolite shells
Found March 2009
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Red brick rhyolite shells, calcite crystals
Found March 2009
Mult-chambered
Found March 2009
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Curvative polished to preserve the details
Found March 2010


largest one I have found.

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