6/17/20 Report - Florida's Most Collected Gems. Fishing For Treasure.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

Florida Calcite Fossilized Clam Crystals.

Calcite crystals in fossilized clam shells are said to be the most collected Florida gems. I've talked about that and Ruck's Pit in previous posts but decided to make a few photos after finding one of my photos being used by Google or Bing or whoever it was describing fossilized shells.  They didn't give credit either, so they used copyrighted material without any mention whatsoever of the source.  But the photo was good, and evidently useful, so I thought I'd make a few more.

See https://treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com/2015/05/52815-report-unique-beach-treasures.html

An internet search showed the photo below, which was originally posted in the above post.  It was made using ultraviolet light to show the fluorescence.  It wasn't an easy photograph to capture.  I guess I'll have to learn to label my photos better.

Fossilized Shell With Crystals Photographed in Ultraviolet Light.

Geologyin.com says, The calcite geodes [at Ruck's Pit] were also of special interest, as they had formed as large aggregations of dogtooth spar growing inside fossilized clams (bivalve mollusks) and whelks (gastropod mollusks). As far as is known, this type of dogtooth spar geode is unique to the Fort Drum Mine.  However, I've found them on Treasure Coast beaches. In fact, the one shown immediately above was found on South Hutchinson Island, and it is far from the only one that has been found there.

See http://www.geologyin.com/2018/01/calcite-fossilized-clams-collecting-in.html

I even once showed crystals that formed in the hollow of a fossil bone.

Here is one more photo of a crystalized shell that I just took in natural light.

Fossilized Clam Shell Crystals.

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Here is a link to a good article about the damage done by fish trawlers to shipwreck sites and the items that come up in the nets.

https://www.academia.edu/3597737/Sean_Kingsley_Out_of_Sight_Out_of_Mind_Fishing_and_Shipwrecked_Heritage?email_work_card=view-paper

Here are just a couple examples from that article.

Not only do the trawlers bring up the kinds of things you might expect. like olive jars and pottery, but also heavy and large things like cannons.

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There is a fairly large statue of a mermaid in the Indian River that is not very recognizable because it is covered with oyster shells.

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Source: nhc.noaa.gov

As you can see, there is a new system down by South America that could develop.  It is that time of year.

On the Treasure Coast today the surf is very small - only one or two feet.  The tides are not big, and the primary swell is ENE.

Happy hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net

10/23/19 Report - Ship of Plundered Booty Salvaged. Statues Thrown in River. Pontius Pilate's Road.

Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.

More than 200 years after its devastating wreck, marine archaeologists have recovered gold jewelry, cookware, and chess pieces from the remains of the ship that belonged to Lord Elgin, researchers in Greece announced this week.

In 1802, a large double-masted ship called the Mentor set sail with treasure looted from Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin. It was heading from Greece toward Malta, intending to land in the UK, but the brig sank after crashing into rocks off the coast of Avlemonas on the island of Kythera. It took with it the entirety of the plundered booty, which included some 17 boxes filled with antiquities—the most famous of which were the Elgin Marbles, looted from the Parthenon...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://news.artnet.com/art-world/shipwreck-discovery-lord-elgin-1680415

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Controversial statues were removed from a church and thrown into the Tigres River.

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-controversial-amazon-synod-statue-siezed-and-thrown-into-the-tiber-river-full-video

This article and the video can help you think about why and how various types of items end up in a body of water.  Sometimes it is intentional and sometimes not.  And why did the fellow select that particular spot to discard them?  How can you identify the most likely spots where items might be lost?  How did the fellow in the video choose the spot where he stopped to dump the statues?

If you think about those types of things, you might get some clues on where to search.  Some magnet fishing from that spot might be profitable.

In this case, it was a controversial statue.  In other cases, items might be discarded during war, after crimes, general mischief or simple accident.

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I got a note from one reader in Colorado about a beautiful 1944 wheat penny just found in change.  He wondered if finds like that might be from theft.  I think that is one way, but I there are other ways.  Sometimes things get passed down and the new owners don't have the same appreciation for the items or sometimes after collecting for a while, people find out that the items are not worth a great deal and have trouble selling them and just decide to spend them.  And sometimes it might be accident.  I know that one time I spent an old silver coin by accident after it accidentally got mixed in with other more modern finds.  Can you think of other reasons for older coins to be found in circulation?  Let me know.

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Archaeologists have unearthed a "lost" road in Jerusalem that was likely constructed by Pontius Pilate, the Roman who presided over the trial and execution of Jesus Christ.

Excavations revealed more than 100 coins beneath the street dating between 17 AD and 31 AD, meaning it would have been built during the famous Roman's rule.

Archaeologists first discovered the road in 1894, but they were unable to pinpoint the date of its construction...

Here is the link for more about that.

https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/archaeology/a29536844/pontius-pilate-lost-road/

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Don't you wish someone would send a dictionary to the media and pundits who can't seem to accurately read or interpret an English sentence.  I get so tired of reading that somebody said X, Y or  Z, when it is clearly not accurate.  Or do they simply think they can fool us?

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It is getting late in the year to still be so hot and muggy.  I wish it would cool off.

A new system popped up down by the Yucatan.

Source: nhc.noaa.gov

Source: MagicSeaWeed.com

We are going to get a bump in the surf  Friday and Saturday.

I know a lot of people got discouraged this year with Dorian and all of the high surf but getting very little erosion.  There was a lot of excitement and anticipation but very little to show for it after wards.  You can't allow yourself to get discouraged though.  Sometimes you have to adapt and do things differently for a while.  Patience and persistence are necessary, but adaptability and creativity also help.  Sometimes you have to check out new places and maybe go a little farther to hunt than you'd prefer.  When things aren't producing at your normal sites sometimes it is a good thing because it forces you to do something new or different.

Happy hunting,

TreasureGuide@comcast.net