Very Odd Stones. Need Help.

[muledeericeberg]

Density of this stone is almost 10 g/cm3
Silver/Grey streak with ability to scratch porcelain as well
Hardness <8 avg 6.5

Found in Colorado. A little larger than a fist and weighs more than 3 pounds. Very solid and heavy.
It looks like the entire thing is made of microscopic crystals that reflect light from an infinite direction making pictures almost impossible.








There's tiny specs of rust and it has odd interaction with a magnet.

Any info or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

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[IAMZIM]

That's a weird one, until you mentioned it was magnetic, I was thinking corundum, but corundum is not magnetic. It looks like some weird cubic crystals that kind of remind me of galena, but galena is soft. Hopefully Ddancer, eucitizen or moesia may be able to help you.

 

[Moesia]

Pyrrhotite plus other sulfides. You need to take a better picture.

 

[muledeericeberg]

 

[muledeericeberg]

Another chunk of this funk.









I cracked this one open last october. Hasn't changed at all.
And by cracked I mean about 10 heavy blows and these things don't budge for nobody.
The extreme density leads me to believe it's metal but looks like its in a micro crystal form. And it's not strongly attracted to a magnet either

 

[muledeericeberg]

This is a piece of that last stone. It has an exterior that is totally contrasting the interior. Kinda fossilized looking with tiny bubbles

 

[Moesia]

Bornite, pyrrhotite, pyrite, marcasite, chalcopyrite, magnetite. You may have more or less than the minerals listed, but it is the best i can do with the pictures provided.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Arsenopyrite? As moesia says, you likely got a mixture of several minerals.
If I'm right, upon being hammered it'll smell like garlic. Depending on how much arsenopyrite there is, it may be more or less distinct.

Oh, and don't sniff to much of it!

 

[hvacker]

Like working in a sardine factory, ya never can get that stuff off your fingers!

 

[muledeericeberg]

No garlic smell or any foul odors. It has a very loamy humus smell something earthy.
It's heavier than galena with quartz/corundum strength. A more accurate density test today 7.74 g/cm3 for another piece.
Brittle tenacity. Zero malleability. Although structural deformation is present so molten formation suspected.

The simple fact that there's no feldspar/quartz present leans me away from pyrite or any polymorph. I do suspect Iron sulfides so we're not too far apart. It seemed like IamZim was leaning towards a silicated morphology which would explain certain complexities in crystals and diaplectic appearing glass. The silication doesn't make up for any density, Theres still almost 3 g/cm3 that unaccounted for. Somethings making it heavy

 

[Moesia]

No garlic smell or any foul odors. It has a very loamy humus smell something earthy.
It's heavier than galena with quartz/corundum strength. A more accurate density test today 7.74 g/cm3 for another piece.
Brittle tenacity. Zero malleability. Although structural deformation is present so molten formation suspected.

The simple fact that there's no feldspar/quartz present leans me away from pyrite or any polymorph. I do suspect Iron sulfides so we're not too far apart. It seemed like IamZim was leaning towards a silicated morphology which would explain certain complexities in crystals and diaplectic appearing glass. The silication doesn't make up for any density, Theres still almost 3 g/cm3 that unaccounted for. Somethings making it heavy

It is not a meteorite if that is what you are leaning.
Density of 7.74 is to large. You could have a large amount of arsenopyrite and magnetite, those being the large density minerals but that still would not account to you're density. You would have to have gold or silver in it to balance the density you measured.
Quartz and feldspar do not have anything to do with pyrite. Pyrite can form in almost all rocks that are saturated in sulfide, from ultramafics that are devoid of feldspar and quartz, to the late veining filed with quartz and feldspar that you are referring to.
Do a streak test would be my suggestion to you.

 

[Mang0]

Response to muledeericeberg another hunk of this junk

I'm so glad someone else has found this uncommon mineral, it glows pink under a long wave black light- I've got a shortwave with UV filter ordered. Have you found out what it is yet?

 

[muledeericeberg]

Thanks Moesia. If gold, silver, lead are present wouldn't they be in malleable blebs or contain anywhere an identifiable mineral?
I've heard of some meteorite density pushing 8g/cm3 some are solid Iron Nickel which together would equal a density of over 8. If you account for elemental impurities and inclusions the density is now below 8 right where I need to be.
Silver/Grey streak with deep scratch in porcelain as well.

This one is full of glass blebs almost 1cm. And has a tight line where metal meets a black material. I pieced it all back together a few days ago.

And mango that looks like industrial glass

 

[muledeericeberg]

Flow lines?

Maybe point of impact? Looks highly shocked with lots of fracturing.

 

[Moesia]

You have almost certainly sulfide minerals present, you're reading of 7.73 density is probably wrong. Pictures are not in a high enough of a resolution to make out the small details needed to better id you're rocks. You seem to know decent amount about rocks and minerals, can you at least tell me what is the host rock made of, is it basaltic or...

In the third picture there seems to be a pink mineral present in the middle. It might be that you have cobaltite and the pink mineral is erythrite. Try to streak the pink mineral it should be pink as well if it is erythrite.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Moesia is correct. Lead and many other metals occur in nature as oxides or sulphides, neither being malleable. Although rare finds of natural copper, silver & gold do happen, they're not the rule but rather the exception.

To guess what is in there from the density is a waste of time, if it indeed is a mixture of minerals.
You may have to let a pro check it out, test each identifiable mineral species by itself (separate hardness & streak tests) or even have it assayed to know what the rock composition is.

 

[muledeericeberg]

Thank you Eu,
Density doesn't help with what it is but it rules out what it's not.

And Moesia,
The host material has to be Iron and Silica
Tiny rust spots on the outside of stones and overall metallic luster
Micro lamellae metalloid containing diaplectic glass/shock morph silicates possibly majorite, stishovite
Each stone has an impenetrable black/blue crust 1.5 mm thick which is about the only place an oxide could develop. A strong acid removes the crust but has no effect on host material.
Local specimen of calaverite and tellurides have a huge quartzite presence with feldspar and calcites.

I do agree I need to take a piece in to be properly analyzed and get the glass identified.
Thank You All for helping
Mark

 

[Moesia]

Good luck with you're meteorite.

 

[Rasputin]

Lol. Backwoodsbob, is that you?!!!