My flat lap has arrived! Of course, I had to play a bit.

There are several diamond wheels from coarse to fine that go with it to polish the rocks.

Here are some of my first examples. This is the outside of a thunder egg.

This is the inside of the same rock. BTW, a thunder egg is similar to a geode, but solid inside.

Outside.

Inside.

Outside.

Inside. So much going on in this one!

Outside.

Inside.

You can’t tell from these photos, but the inside faces are flat and polished. Pictures really do not capture the beauty and details.

These and many other rocks in Arizona are actually volcanic. Gas bubbles in lava get filled with silica rich water. Over time, the water evaporates leaving crystals or even solid silicon dioxide behind.

How cool is that?

A big part of rock hunting is learning what to look for. At one time, I would have walked right by all of these, never realizing what secrets they held inside.

Have a great day!