Since the discovery in the late 199s, Hami mud stone has attracted the favor of strange stone lovers in Hami and in and outside the region. In recent years, with the continuous improvement of the appreciation level of strange stone lovers in Xinjiang, this excellent stone species has been continuously valued. Its quaint and quiet colors, fantastic and unpredictable patterns, especially its texture and patina comparable to purple sand, have fascinated countless people.
main producing areas and reasons for formation
Mudstones are mainly produced in the depths of Nanhu Gobi, which is more than 9 kilometers south of Hami city. Now it is in the west of Haruo Highway, which is called "Mudstone Pit" by stone prospectors. At present, there are three pits in a * * *, which are distributed in a triangle, about ten kilometers apart, and each pit covers an area of about 2 square kilometers, of which the second pit has the largest area, and it is also the earliest place to find mud stones. Another origin of mud stone is Caishi Mountain in the south Gobi, Shanshan County, which was discovered by farmers in Qiketai, Shanshan at the beginning of this century. At present, the mudstone resources in these two places have long been exhausted, and only sporadic mudstone and small mudstone are exposed in the sand.
Mudstone belongs to mudstone or sediment rock in sedimentary rocks, which was formed in Jurassic period about 15 million years ago. Mudstone was formed because the lake here contained a lot of sediment at that time, and the muddy fine particles in the lake were deposited due to the regression and evaporation of the lake. These mudstones have been exposed to the earth's surface after tens of millions of years of crustal movement, extrusion and uplift. Under such special geological and climatic conditions as the Gobi Desert in South Lake, this desert treasure was finally formed after being polished by the wind and sand of nature.
The main species
Mudstone was discovered in 1998, and it was developed in large quantities in 1999 with the rise of the strange stone fever in Hami. At that time, Hami Kistler enthusiasts saw that it was fine in texture, like silt deposition, so it was named Mudstone, and it has been established ever since. At present, in Hami, mud and stone players generally divide mud and stone into two categories according to their appreciation: cooked mud and raw mud. The cooked mud and stone are the most valuable for collection and appreciation, while the raw mud and stone are not valued because of their coarse texture, impurities, no patina or incomplete patina. At the same time, some strange stone lovers are also divided into brown, green, yellow, black and variegated colors according to the color of mud stones. Except yellow mud stones are mainly produced in Shanshan Caishi Mountain, other colors are produced in Hami mud stone pit.
appreciation of mud stones
appreciation of mud stones, especially the appreciation and playing with cooked mud stones, some experienced players have summed up the following experiences: First, quality. The finer the texture, the better, the closer it is to the silt, and there are no impurities. The delicate texture gives people a calm and restrained feeling. The second is skin, that is, patina. Mature mud stones have a thin skin of only a few microns. Mudstones with skin are especially suitable for playing with in the hands, and the thicker the patina, the brighter the color. The third is grain, which refers to the uneven grain on the stone surface. Generally, there are tree branches, water ripples, groove patterns, back-to-word patterns, and letters similar to Arabic characters, which sometimes give people a sense of mystery. The fourth is color. Require a single color, no noise. Mature mudstone is mainly brown and green, while raw mudstone has yellow, black and variegated colors besides brown and green.
The value of mud stone
The author thinks that Hami mud stone is the best one of the new varieties of desert stone in Xinjiang at present, and it has high collection and investment value. The main reasons are as follows: First, the harsh formation conditions and the scarcity of output. Although mudstone is widely distributed in China, the main reason for the formation of mudstone is the special climate and geological conditions here, especially the wind and sand in the desert Gobi are the internal causes for the formation of its skin and grain, which are the characteristics of mature mudstone. At present, this kind of mudstone-like strange stone, which is the same as Hami mudstone, has not been found in Xinjiang and other parts of China. At the same time, as early as 21, Hami mud stone resources have been basically exhausted, and the number of mud stones with complete appearance is very small. Second, the harmonious unity of "shape, quality and color" fully embodies its abstract beauty. Mudstone is generally simple in shape, with few figurative stones, but it is an excellent abstract ornamental stone, especially its skin and grain, which gives people a mysterious and quaint aesthetic feeling. Third, it has certain aesthetic principles and humanistic connotation. Due to the rich resources and varieties of strange stones in Xinjiang, strange stone lovers in Xinjiang play with all kinds of stones, and generally have no preference for stone types, but at present there are some players who specialize in playing mud stones. This is mainly due to the aesthetic law and certain humanistic connotation embodied in mud and stone. From the perspective of aesthetic law, the proper proportion of points, lines and surfaces constitutes the unique shape, spirit and spirit of each clay stone, which makes players feel happy and enjoy themselves. From the perspective of humanistic connotation, it is as simple and honest as the texture of teapot, and it is very congenial to the temperament of literati. This is why the players of mud and stone are mainly some cultural people.
market of origin
When mud stone entered the strange stone market in the late 199s, because the market only recognized silicified wood at that time, its fate in Hami was as bad as that of desert stones such as flint and agate except silicified wood. At that time, the mud and stones shipped from the Gobi Desert in South Lake were sold at a price of about 1, yuan for a car or a ton, and the price of some cooked mud and stones with complete appearance was only one or two hundred yuan. A large number of mud and stones were bought cheaply by foreigners in the form of currency.
After 23, with the increasing awareness of stone appreciation and fine products among strange stone lovers in Hami, especially after a yellow concrete mud stone was bought by a foreigner in Hami at a price of 25, yuan, the price of mud stone, especially cooked mud stone, rose. At the same time, the popularity of this kind of stone was accelerated by the favor of strange stone lovers and stone merchants from other places such as Liuzhou, Taiwan Province and Xi 'an. Since 25, with the depletion of mud and stone resources, the price of mud and stone has further increased due to the influence of domestic sketch fever. The currency of mud and stone with a size of about 5 cm (weighing about 5 kg) is about 2 yuan per box, and the price of a plate of melon seeds-shaped mud and stone with a big meal is above that of 5 yuan. At the same time, the price of high-quality cooked mud stone rose further. In 25, a round cooked mud stone with a diameter of 3 cm and covered with wrinkles was sold in Hami for 3, yuan, and another one without wrinkles was also sold for 12, yuan.
At present, there are no ripe mud stones with a diameter of more than 2 cm in the two strange stone markets in Hami, and one or two fine products occasionally appear, and the asking price is about 2, yuan. Even some figurative clay sculptures are offered by sellers for several thousand yuan, which is even less visible in the strange stone markets in Urumqi, Shanshan and other places, and it is even more rare for strange stone lovers in other places to see its charm. Although the three mud pits producing mud stones have an area of nearly 5 square kilometers, according to the author's field investigation in March 26, no mature mud stone with complete appearance was found.
Hami's mud stone has completed its historical mission in nature, from natural stone to ornamental stone, from resource development period to boutique era, and its price is bound to be higher and higher.