Thuringia
Sources:
- Altersbach area
- Arzberg
- Hirzberg
- Kohlberg
- Arlesberg
- Asbach area
- Hirschberg
- Komberg
- Rinderberg
- Spathöhle
- Wasch
- Baumgartental
- westside
- eastside
- gravel pit Bittstädt
- Dörrkopf
- gravelpit Erfurt
- Georgenthal
- Grafenhain quarry
- Hedda's Cross
- Luisenthal area
- Gabelung D
- Hölle am Kleine Münzberg
- Kesselberg
- Mönchstal
- Nesselhof
- Oberschönau
- Oberhof area
- Harzwald
- Innenstadt
- Stein 16
- Veilchenbrunnen
- Waldbad ???
- Pähnitz
- Rotterrode area
- Bed 1
- Bed 2
- Gasberg
- Ruhla area
- Meisenstein
- Kahle Koppe
- Secret Hole
- Steinbach-Hallenberg "Köpfchen"
- Struth-Helmersdorf
- gravelpit Stotternheim
- Tambach-Dietharz (Quelle)
- Winterstein ???
The German state of Thuringia has a couple of sites with lithophysae agates which have a special local name - Schneekopfkugeln ('snow-head-balls' - the Schneekopf is a mountain in this area).
Altersbach area
size:
That's a nice specimen of a Schneekopfkugel from Altersbach - exactly from the Hirzberg sub-location. Those eggs are the typical ones running as Altersbach eggs. The bi-colored matrix is amazing. It has a nice druzy center which my scanner lacks to catch. Only rough cut.
Arlesberg
size:
A really phantastic and beautiful lithophysae agate from the location Arlesberg, a town near Geraberg. You can see some reddish agate eyes and a bizzare formed flat druze poeckte with smokey quartz in it. Only rough cut.
Asbach area
size:
The Hirschberg is a medium high mountainof 561m near the town of Asbach (next to Schmalkalden). Most eggs are quite large with druzy chambers filled with quartz.
That's a neat egg with a opal healed crack going through the whole agate core.
size: all 3 about 90 mm max.
Three cracked open thunderegg geodes from the location of Komberg near Asbach, Thuringian Forest. The dark filling could be some erroded calcite or baryte minerals (maybe Illit), the third egg has a giant xenolith in it.
size:
This Schneekopfkugel is broken open and shows some nice baryte pseudomorphs in reddish orange colors. It's from the location Wasch next to the town of Asbach.
Baumgartental
source on the westside of the road
size:
There are two sub-sites located at the source of Baumgartental - left and right hand of the road. But the main problem is left or right from which direction of the road?! This one is from the 'westside'. Only rough cut, not worked yet.
source on the eastside of the road
size:
The other side of the road also brought thundereggs. The sub-source is called Eastside or 'right side'.
size: 96x103 mm
gravel pit Bittstädt
size: ~60-70 mm
Two interesting thundereggs (Schneekopfkugeln) from the gravel pit Bittstädt (Amt Wachsenburg, Thuringia). Both with the typical water warn surface, one with agate, one with jasper.
Dörrkopf
size:
This 'Schneekopfkugel' comes from the location called Dörrkopf not that far from the Gehlberg area. Usually the eggs are small and rarely filled with agate.
This one has a strange perimorphose in the middle. Maybe it was filled up by a crystal which disappeared.
Georgenthal
size:
The Georgenthal is near to Tambach-Dietharz.
This 'Schneekopfkugel' shows some intersting pattern, a large piece of matrix as an incluison in the core.
Hedda's Cross
size:
Named after one of his children, a Thuringian collector found this location somewhere in the Thuringian Forest. The fillings are often quartz but the matrix pattern is really intersting.
Luisenthal area
size:
In the Luisenthal there are a few locations. This one is a classic 'Hölle' specimen next to the Small Münzberg (Mt.). Rough cut only.
size:
Another Luisenthal specimen, the famous Mönchsthal.
Manebach
size:
Very clear red and white lines around a quartz center. This egg is from Manebach near Ilmenau.
Nesselhof
size:
Also well known in the agate collectors world is the source of Nesselhof. The lithophysae agates here show some characteristics only found in this site. The matrix is whitish with a lot of green color, the filling is often in a kind of tribal pattern (like this one) and often you can find triple or more eggs in one, sometimes with matrix rock attached.
The next one is not from the main source like the others but near by.
Oberhof area
size:
An Oberhof specimen with green and orange colors. Only rough cut.
size: 76x62 mm
This Oberhof Schneekopfkugel is from the sublocation Harzwald. Needs to be sanded.
These two now are from sub-location Innenstadt (city).
And another sub-location, very rare, Veilchenbrunnen.
Rotterode area
The location of Rotterode is a large area with nice eggs coming out. There are several 'beds' which are actually only holes near each other.
size:
This Rotterode specimen has a reddish matrix and a dark agate core. Koppenstein is a 2nd name for the site where those can be found.
size: 57x47 mm
Blueish grey agate banding in this thunderegg from the new Rotterode sub-location Gasberg.
Steinbach-Hallenberg "Köpfchen"
size:
An intersting core with whitish agate, some red spots and a nice druze shown in a 'Köpfchen'-lithophysae.
quartz: 38x36 mm
banded: 68x60 mm
pseudos: 83x82 mm
white with waterlevel: 47x48 mm
Struth-Helmersdorf
size:
This quite rare Schneekopfkugel comes from Struth-Helmersdorf showing baryte crystals and quartz in the filling.