Blue Rock-Maybe Blue Obsidian?

[NorthSlope_Alaska]

Found a bunch of this scattered on the surface. Located with Basalt in the mountains above Ellensburg Washington.
Any Ideas?

 

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[Eu_citzen]

It could be, google on the specific properties of obsidian and compare.
webmineral.com
will help much.
mindat.org
can also help. I think wemineral has a help index to the left with all the properties.

 

[gollum]

You might have found the Northern end of the Big Blue River (so named because of the blue gravel in its' course). The Big Blue River was very ancient, and was jumbled around by the formation of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The gold from the Cal. Gold Rush was from aabout a ten mile stretch of the Big Blue River.

Just a thought.

Best-Mike

 

[Jeffro]

Some pieces in there look like turquoise, perhaps? The blue lead from an ancient river is more like blue clay and is found in ancient channel deposits, high up on the mountainsides.

 

[NorthSlope_Alaska]

Hi,
Thanks for the feedback. The Blue is oxidation. Below the patina it is more like agate or glass.
Not the Northern end of the Big Blue River. The water flows came out of Montana during the The Missoula Floods. This was an isolated find.

Sorta looks like turquoise, with exception to the glassy center. Note the fracture on this piece

 

[Cappy Z.]

Looks like Lapis a little..

 

[Jeffro]

Your first guess was probably correct then, looks like obsidian in the center. Copper staining perhaps? Copper can leach out of solution just about every color of the rainbow between green and deep purple.

 

[Cappy Z.]

I mentioned your find today to a local geologist. He expressed an interest in seeing a chunk. PM me about the price and I'll mail you. He thinks you may have stumbled upon something new.

Cap Z.

 

[NorthSlope_Alaska]

I don't have any raw pieces, all have been put through a polisher. Most of the pieces still show the blue patination. Only one piece has been polished past the patina. Once through the material sure does look like Obsidian. It has a very dark deep Navy Blue color to it. I know there is a report of a Obsidian source in a an area called Stray Gulch. But no one I know has found it.
I plan on making a trip the 26th of this month to get some more. Once I have some more raw material I plan on sending some down to the Obsidian Lab (Oregon), once I get the report back I will let everyone know what the result are.

No value has been place on the material.
Thanks for everyones post.
Joel

 

[Eu_citzen]

The close up reminds me of Azurite.
http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/earthsci/imagearchive/azurite5.jpg

 

[NorthSlope_Alaska]

The close up reminds me of Azurite.
http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/earthsci/imagearchive/azurite5.jpg

Yes, but no.
Thanks for your feedback

 

[Eu_citzen]

That black part looks like Obsidian indeed.
However the blue stuff could be as Jeffro said; a copper mineral.
Obsidian does not have such a earthly surface.

However the "look" of a mineral is no sure ID, only tests can ID it properly.
Everything else is just a guess.

Check hardness; can a nail scratch it??
Hardness is scratching resistance.

 

[Mike Spicer]

I think Maybe You have found some Ellensburg Blue Agate.
If it is you have hit the Jack Pot!!!!
Do a google search on Ellensburg Blue agate
here are a couple

http://www.blueagates.com/id1.html

http://www.agates.org/2008/03/ellensburg-blue.html

Mike Spicer

 

[Eu_citzen]

It does not really look like agate, however it could be jasper which also is a quartz varriant.

 

[minetres]

Even if it is Obsidian I would like to purchase a couple of those pieces thy should make some very nice Cabs.

Minetres

 

[Cappy Z.]

Even if it is Obsidian I would like to purchase a couple of those pieces thy should make some very nice Cabs.

Minetres

I with him.

 

[centfladigger]

I think Maybe You have found some Ellensburg Blue Agate.
If it is you have hit the Jack Pot!!!!
Do a google search on Ellensburg Blue agate
here are a couple

http://www.blueagates.com/id1.html

http://www.agates.org/2008/03/ellensburg-blue.html

Mike Spicer

hey I have some of that stuff, a kid from another forum traded me a few flat rate boxes for boxes of coral for knapping, that indeed is some beautiful stuff. you have make make thicker cabs to keep that color though

 

[Cappy Z.]

I'm pleased you are back and posting centfladigger .......

When I get some spare cash I really am interested in buying some of that fantastic stuff you dig up.

Maybe you could post a photos with prices? I bet folks here would jump on the chance to own a piece of your treasure trove.

Cap Z.

 

[NorthSlope_Alaska]

I'm very familiar with Ellensburg Blue and this isn't EB. I plan on going back up into the mountains this Saturday to hopefully locate the spot where I found this material.

 

[Goodyguy]

To me it looks like chert or *Chalcedony, I must admit that I am at a loss to make a mineral specific ID from the photos. However I am quite certain it is chalcedony, because of the look of waxy smoothness, color, and the patina.
Pure black chalcedony is fairly rare. Onyx is black chalcedony with straight thin lines or stripes of black and white. Although pure black chalcedony is commonly referred to as Onyx in error.

"However the "look" of a mineral is no sure ID, only tests can ID it properly.
Everything else is just a guess." -Eu_Citzen-

* Chalcedony is a variety of the mineral quartz that occurs in in a great variety of colors including blue, black, lavender, white, buff, light tan, gray, yellow, pink, red or brown. If chalcedony is conspicuously color-banded, it may be called agate and with other minerals it has various other names including chert, flint, jasper, carnelian, mocha stone, onyx, chrysoprase, heliotrope, and bloodstone to name a few.

Although with that said, Obsidian is still a possibility.

GG~