Similar to Grimes Canyon Fused Shale, this material was created from supper heated surface combustion. The sand melted between the layers of dirt and rock creating lenses of beautiful green glass. The variant here would be the absence of micro-vesicles found in the Grimes Canyon Fused Shale. When I first found this deposit a few years ago, there were about eight colors ranging from dark blues through yellow. Now the only color left is olive green. The Kern material also occurs in lenses. The Fused Shale was utilized by native cultures for flintknapping and many artifacts can me seen made of this material. The Kern River Green Obsidian was created sometime in the historic period, and it was not likely utilized for flintknapping until I found it two years ago. It appears a localized oil fire burn here for an extended period, with great amounts of heat. Until today, I am the only one that knows about this rare lithic resource.
2 comments:
Where on the bike path/Kern River did you find this? I have been trying to find different rockhound sites in and around Bakersfield, and you've found a gem!
(and I'd like to try to find it myself)
I have tons and tons of this including a chunk the size of a footstool. The part of the river by the bike path where I found the most of it is behind the Heart Hospital directly across from it and below the bike path on the bike path side. However you can find it behind the Rosedale Hotel in between the hotel and the park in the river below the bike path on the park side of the river that's where I find more of the reddish kind but the marble blue and green I find in abundance behind the Heart Hospital in the river. All along the bike path you can find it though it's iron slag I found a big ole melted chunk of iron also I thought it was gold at first LOL I find artifacts there too and old glass. The canal that runs along the river right there behind the Heart Hospital also has a wealth of things in it. Along the bike path look at the glass that pokes up I found a few intact glass items and some antique glass bottles
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