Welcome to Lennox Head. I love climbing all over the rocks down here. Fascinated by the little pockets of some kind of crystal, I asked a local geologist and was told they were Zeolite. Lets go find some!
There are a number of parking options. For a nice flat walk along a paved and dirt path (except the last little bit) try P1. For the more adventurous and fit out there, try P3. Otherwise you can access the track down the stairs from P2. Or you could park at the shops for a longer foreshore walk. Parking in all these areas can be pretty difficult when the surfs up, near sunset, or on weekends in warmer weather - good luck.
Most of the visible rock in this area is Basalt, formed from lava flowing from the Tweed Volcano (Mt Warning) approximately 23 million years ago.
The lava flows varied in densitiy, with gas gathering and rising, trying to escape into the atmostphere. The lava was too thick for some of these gas bubbles to be released before the lava had begun solidification. These trapped bubbles are called Vesicles.
If any fluid became trapped inside these bubbles it would crystalise. These crystal formations are called Amygdales.
Some crystals didn't fill the entire void, but just lined it. These lined ones are called Vugs. I have attached an image to this that shows 3 examples of amygdales and one vug found in this area.
Most amygdale and vug minerals in this location are the Zeolite.
Have a look around the rocks here. If you look carefully you will see these pockets of crystals now exposed due to erosion over time. They are generally white and surrounded by a rust colour caused by iron oxide in the basalt.
Your mission: find a Zeolite bubble or cluster of bubbles.
1. What is the approximate size of your sample?
2. Is it an amygdale or vug? Why do you conclude this?
3. Does it have any rust colours on or around it? What causes the rust colour on most of them?
4. Take a photo of yourself or something that represents you with the headland in the background and send it with your answers. You can add it to your log also if you like.
You can log a find immediately, but need to get your answers to me via private message within 10 days or so to retain your find.
I hope you enjoyed checking out the headland from below and finding zeolite. :)
If you like basalt coloumns, you might enjoy a little wander further around the headland AT LOW TIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
BEWARE OF FALLING ROCKS AND PILLARS, AND THE TIDE COMING IN!
(which is why I didn't make an EC for the columns or what I believe is the RJs Jurasic Sedimentary Rock beneath them)