Chihuahua


Most of the thundereggs from Mexico come from the Chihuahua desert in the same called state in the far north of Mexico. Unfortunatelly there are many sources without an exact or even any hint of where they are located.


Carillo Ranch (& El Mesteno Ranch)                 --> Las Choyas Coconut Geodes

The worlds best know thundereggs from Mexico are the Las Choyas Coconut Geodes from the Carillo Ranch or Mesteno Ranch in Chihuahua. They are dug underneath surface and sold all over the world. The classic geodes are hollow and are cracked open mostly. A lot of eggs are completely filled but of less interest.

As the discussion is big about the fact if they are real thundereggs or not, I like to present a couple of varieties of the Coconuts.


Cumbres de Majalca --> Red Skin Geodes

Cumbres de Majalca
Cumbres de Majalca

size:

 

From Cumbres de Majalca are the so called Red Skin Geodes. Nice patterned thundereggs with typical light brownish matrix and blueish banding with red gap fillings. They are supposed to be from 'Northern Chihuahua'.


Del Ray (aka. Ascension, Bolo, Galeana)

Del Ray
Del Ray

size:

 

The so called 'Del Ray' t-eggs come from the Ranch of Alberto Ray and are/were also called 'Bolos', 'Ascension'  or Galeana thundereggs.

 


Janos --> Rainbow agates

Janos
Janos

size: ~120x80 mm

 

The thundereggs from Janos usually show less filling in a lot of matrix. Usualy most of the matrix is reduced by the local collectors.

But also most eggs are mudballs so the usually like to knap them down for reason.


Los Medanos --> Snowball agates

Los Medanos
Los Medanos

size: 50x45 mm

 

From Los Medanos are the so called 'Snowball agates'. They are fuzzy to slightly banded agates which are to be thunderegg cores.


Ojo Laguna

Ojo Laguna
Ojo Laguna

size:

 

Besides the waorld famous and nowadays very expensive Laguna agates there's also a primary source for thundereggs in this area producing eggcelent specimens like this one on the right and the others below.

The right one has a golden agate banding (the most expensive in classic Lagunas) surrounded by fire agate.

Ojo Laguna "Mezquite Creek"

Ojo Laguna "Mezquite Creek"
Ojo Laguna "Mezquite Creek"

size: 55x43 mm

 

Coming from a really new source in the Ojo Laguna area, these eggs show some floating patterns as found in the Mezquite Creek.

 

 

4 Pairs: 50 - 40 mm

Golden rim: 70x56 mm

Onion shells: 67x63 mm

Dark agate: 68x55 mm


Pancho Villa

Pancho Villa
Pancho Villa

size:

 

Quite new bed from Chihuahua - Pancho Villa. Usually not the best filled thundereggs but a nice dark orange matrix and complete although larger.


Rancho Trancas --> Trancas Geodes

Rancho Trancas
Rancho Trancas

size:

 

A half cracked Trancas Geode filled with nice sparkling quartz crystals and great chalcedony formations.


San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo

size: 51x46 mm

 

 

A tripple egg coming from the source of San Luis Obispo. Not a real beauty but I don't know a lot about that source.


Santa Eulalia (aka. Aldama)                                --> Coyamo Agates

size: 115x85 mm

 

That's a really beautiful quartz filled thunderegg geode from Aldama near Santa Eulalia. There are amazing szepter quartz crystals in the cavity. The location is also known as Creel or Aldama in Chiapas. But the real source is the same as the Coyamo t-eggs.


Sierra de la Candelaria

size:

 

A very nice fragment of a thunderegg from the Sierra de la Candelaria. It's filled with a week orange colored quartz cluster, blueish chalcedony and some hyalite crystals. Very neat!


'Northern Mexico'                                                  --> Sweet Potato Thundereggs

'Sweet Potato Thunderegg'
'Sweet Potato Thunderegg'

size:

 

This thundereggs is from Northern Mexico. A more precise location is not known. They are similar to potatos, so they are called Sweet-Potato-Thundereggs. They have a red skin and some typical hydrothermal chalcedony filling. This one has a nice calcite crystal in it.


Rancho La Prieta (aka. San Marcos Geode)

Rancho La Prieta
Rancho La Prieta

size:

 

This thunderegg has a real Las Choyas Coconut touch on it. But the slightly sub-spherical shape and the filling itself suggerst it being a San Marcos Geode from the Rancho La Prieta. Also the surface of the egg isn't typical for Las Choyas. It shows the typical t-egg pattern of small t-eggs stuffed together (like the Ochoco Mt. t-eggs from Oregon).

But I've to check that!


Other locations