Rocky Butte Picture Jasper

Rocky Butte Picture Jasper is one of the four main Owyhee area picture jaspers along with Wild Horse, Owyhee and Craig's Gulch. It was discovered and originally mined by my  friend Jake Jacobitz. Last summer I went with him for a tour of the many small lodes of picture jasper, each with its own distinctive look, and also visited the four major deposits. Rocky Butte has trademark reddish areas and complex patterns and the sky, when it is present, tends to be brecciated and spotted with white star like dots. The great variety in the patterns of Rocky Butte Jasper makes it a favorite with cabochon cutters.