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Dwarves' Earth Treasures Museum:
Hauser BedsThundereggs
Wiley Well District, south of Bythne, California
    The Hauser Beds have been long known and explored for many decades since when Joel Hauser began digging for them in 1930s and considered a "mecca" of rockhounders for its geodes (actually a type of thunderegg). Despite many decades of rockhounding, the greenish decomposed pertile beds still produce the thundereggs from time to time since the thundereggs tend to occur in clusters along the lava flows. The shells of the thundereggs are not well silicified and are commonly geodic types, but occasionally, those with amethyst geode centers have been found. There are several diggings along the Hauser Beds (#1, #2 and #3) and it takes some serious digging to reach the thunderegg-bearing beds. I finally visited the beds and I was led by several fragments of banded agates and one with amethyst crystals on it to one place and took a chance at digging. I hit on a pocket of thundereggs and filled a 50-lb crate with them (not bad for the first time). My goal is to evaluate how much percentage of the thundereggs contain solid banded agates since the rockhounders seem to ignore them and focus on the geode types.
     My digging and cutting experiences show that qutie a low percentage of the Hauser thunderggs contain banded and "waterline" agates. The agates are typically clear to gray colors with bluish hue but it's possible to find those with red and yellow colors as shown by the agate fragments scattered around. There are still more places to explore and hopefully, I might find better stuff in in the future.
Further Information on Hauser Beds can be found at this DesertUSA.com

YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO SEE LARGER PICTURES

Rough Appearance: 
-Tan with ridges, Can be confused with thundereggs from Oregon. 
-Greenish tint due to being dug from greenish pertile beds
-Rhyolite shells usually dark brown with bleached rims when cut but can be also competely bleached tan.
-Majority are geode types, usually rimmed with bluish agate.
Classic Hauser Thundergg with Amethyst center
from the original Hauser Beds. 

Thundereggs dug by Jeffrey Anderson, December 2009

My best find in spite of a major fracture Typical geodic thunderegg
Rare solid banded agate Silicified "mud" debris with yellow agate
Rare reddish agate in this one Typical agate with frosty banding