The Agates Denio Dendritic & Amethyst Sage
The term dendrite comes from the Greek word
"dendron", which means a tree. This description
is appropriate because we often describe the
form and structure of a metallic dendrite as that
of a tree with a main branch or trunk, from which
grow side branches, from which grow smaller side
branches, and so on,
The terms moss agate and dendritic agate have
often been used interchangeably in the past. This
is probably not a correct practice. The mineralogy
of moss (chlorite, celadonite, etc.) is different than
that of dendrites (Manganese oxides and iron oxides).
Denio Nevada is in Hunboldt County near the Bilk Creek Mountains, a narrow range of peaks just south of the Oregon border and immediately southeast of Denio in the Northern Great Basin.
Many years ago, the agate that
came from this area, was pretty much black and white. It was simply called Denio Dendritic
Agate. Now the mine is yielding an amethystine like agate that has been
called Amethyst Sage. It is a very beautiful agate with purples,
whites, grays and of course the black bushes. We have some of the old
black and white material
If you are a purple person you might want to get in touch with the current mine owner Dale Huett of College Place, in Washington State.
Here is a picture of his materialand and a link to his website
http://www.wcmining.com/ws/1FS/fs.html