W033 / Oregon

Wascoite

Local name for silicified laminated sediment

Wascoite is a lapidary name for patterned silicified sediment, not a separate mineral species.

← Western Lapidary Materials
Reference photograph pending

What it is

Local name for silicified laminated sediment

What to look for

Look for fine layers and landscape-like patterning; compare Biggs jasper rather than diagnosing from a single brown band.

At the cutting bench

Follow bedding and inspect cracks before choosing a display face. Deposit-specific cutting yield is not established here.

Under the loupe

Biggs and China Hollow material overlap in geology and trade language. A similar pattern does not recover a lost locality label.

Source & collecting access

Mapped mining observations are historical; current ownership, production and visitor access have not been verified.

Status checked 2026-10-03

The market notebook

No verified realized-price range was established for this entry. Asking prices and sold labels are not interchangeable.

Market researched 2026-10-03

Open the field notes

Formation & evidence

DOGAMI describes silicified sediment and related material at contacts between basalt flows. Figure 8-1 distinguishes material called Biggs jasper and wascoite.

Collecting & trade context

Keep the original trade label. Do not normalize every patterned slab to Biggs jasper.

Reading an old label

Preserve the exact name, dates, wrapping and associated pieces. Old-stock age alone does not authenticate a locality or imply exceptional value.

Color comparison limits

Brown/Tan, Yellow, Gray

What we know—and what we don’t

Visual resemblance can narrow a comparison. Material identity, locality attribution and documented provenance need separate evidence.

C&C Reference Collection

Authenticated reference photography is still being assembled.

Sources & Further Reading
  1. DOGAMI Geologic Map 124, pp. 93–94, Figure 8-1

    Mapped report and author-posted text; direct large PDF retrieval failed. Field observations are historical.

  2. Author-posted DOGAMI GMS 124

    Same report, not an independent study.

Historic locality information is not current collecting permission. For cutting, use suitable dust controls and material-specific safety guidance.