Got A Rock you Want Identified? Post it here! gimme a good picture or 3 or 4!

hvacker

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Aug 18, 2012
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Ok so I finally mounted my Trinitite from Trinity Site white sands missile range. Its glass from the first nuclear explosion. View attachment 1278267
Trinitite, also known as*atomsite*orAlamogordo glass, is the*glassy*residue left on the desert floor after the*plutonium-basedTrinity*nuclear bomb test*on July 16, 1945, near*Alamogordo,*New Mexico. The glass is primarily composed of*arkosic*sand composed of*quartz*grains and*feldspar*(bothmicrocline*and smaller amount of*plagioclasewith small amount of*calcite,*hornblende*andaugite*in a matrix of sandy*clay)[2]*that was melted by the atomic blast. It is usually a light green, although color can vary. It is mildly radioactive but safe to handle.[3][4][5]

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, samples were gathered and sold to*mineral collectorsas a*novelty. Traces of the material may be found at the Trinity Site today, although most of it was bulldozed and buried by the*United States Atomic Energy Commission*in 1953.[6]It is now illegal to take the remaining material from the site; however, material that was taken prior to this prohibition is still in the hands of collectors.

I had a job once on top of Oscura Peak, the mountain just to the N of Trinity Site. What was cool is I could look off the mountain and see this a perfect circle where the bomb was detonated. I know it's said the site was bull dozed but the circle still remains. I eventually went to the site on one of the two days a year there is public access. Had a great cheeseburger at the Buckhorn too.
My wife has a piece of Trinitite but it was purchased at the rock shop in Bingham.

I got close again when my rock club went to the Blanchard mine near Bingham. Of course most of the area is off limits because of the military.
 

Last edited:
Mar 1, 2016
1
0
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I am hoping you can help identify this rock. I found it in a dry creek bed in the Cave Junction area of Oregon (Southern) not too far from the Oregon caves. These are all shots of the rock dry. I hammered off a small chunk to get a look inside and 1 or 2 of the pics show the chunk as well. It is covered in crags, is heavy and pretty solid. Looks like parts have agatized (?) but not sure. I would really like to know what kind of rock it is. The parts inside where the rock has broken or where I hammered off are grey and shimmery.

GB1.JPG GB2.JPG GB3.JPG GB4.JPG GB6.JPG
 

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Dustedyou

Dustedyou

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Dec 27, 2012
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View attachment 1279899
View attachment 1279900
View attachment 1279901

Can someone help me identify this material??? It came from that hole on the picture,,, when i looked in there a bunchhhhh of flys where inside there where this material
Was, its not a rock and easily can be crushed... Any ideas?

Calcium carbonate, aka limestone is melting thru with other matter like roots etc, causing pockets of water (probably warm) that are full of rotting matter Just what flies want,. Nice find and great pictures.

I would be interested in if there are larger holes nearby, even a cave complex, but be careful! Caves can kill quickly, and bodies are seldom found in those circumstances.
 

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Dustedyou

Dustedyou

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View attachment 1279903

Also, i found alot of this rocks on a river next to the picture crater above, any ideas what kind of rock?

Dolomite with quartz inclusion, pretty common, lava pushed up with the quartz in it or next to it, and hardened. The quartz would have actually been almost like water when it happened.
These formations can get enormous literally miles long and miles deep, if the dolomite is gassy it will form pockets and tubes and the quartz will form large crystals, if the formation has the right minerals the pockets will for various gem crystals like amethyst carnelian, jade, jasper, citriene, wolfenite, emerald, other types, up to and including amzonite and others.
Looking for pocketing is always a must while I'm out hounding. Its what the big crystals will form into. Good luck and good hunting!
 

Cid1313

Tenderfoot
Mar 1, 2016
8
0
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image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg
image.jpeg image.jpeg

I found this in wyoming, it is very heavy, any idea what it is? This is a smaller piece i broke off, the out side as shown is very smooth, about 98% of the crust was this way untill i broke it.
 

llanolargo

Jr. Member
Feb 29, 2016
68
25
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Calcium carbonate, aka limestone is melting thru with other matter like roots etc, causing pockets of water (probably warm) that are full of rotting matter Just what flies want,. Nice find and great pictures.

I would be interested in if there are larger holes nearby, even a cave complex, but be careful! Caves can kill quickly, and bodies are seldom found in those circumstances.


Thanks
For
The reply!!! I am
Not sure if there is any caves near by, i am very interested to see what can be done
There but i am not sure what to
Do, what do you advice?
 

llanolargo

Jr. Member
Feb 29, 2016
68
25
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Dolomite with quartz inclusion, pretty common, lava pushed up with the quartz in it or next to it, and hardened. The quartz would have actually been almost like water when it happened.
These formations can get enormous literally miles long and miles deep, if the dolomite is gassy it will form pockets and tubes and the quartz will form large crystals, if the formation has the right minerals the pockets will for various gem crystals like amethyst carnelian, jade, jasper, citriene, wolfenite, emerald, other types, up to and including amzonite and others.
Looking for pocketing is always a must while I'm out hounding. Its what the big crystals will form into. Good luck and good hunting!

Very interesting, theres a river that has huge
Rocks with this type of crystals all
Over them, i wonder what can be done around there?
 

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Dustedyou

Dustedyou

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View attachment 1280365 View attachment 1280366 View attachment 1280367
View attachment 1280368 View attachment 1280369

I found this in wyoming, it is very heavy, any idea what it is? This is a smaller piece i broke off, the out side as shown is very smooth, about 98% of the crust was this way untill i broke it.

That looks like a meteorite, do me a favor see if a magnet (neodymium) sticks to it HARD, if it won't stay on it its a meteor wrong, then we go to what else it may be, try and cut it with a knife edge, and drag it on some white tile
These are standard tests, but from the picture and your description, i would say meteor,,,if it iscan you go back to the spot you found it? Or mark it on a map? And if so you could be looking at 100$ a gram. Let meknowhow those tests go! Good luck!
 

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Dustedyou

Dustedyou

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Very interesting, theres a river that has huge
Rocks with this type of crystals all
Over them, i wonder what can be done around there?

Yuor best bet is to collect the best specamines that you find attractive or pleasing to the eye. Market them for what they are, or start a rock collection m8! Good luckand have fun!
 

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Dustedyou

Dustedyou

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Dec 27, 2012
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I am hoping you can help identify this rock. I found it in a dry creek bed in the Cave Junction area of Oregon (Southern) not too far from the Oregon caves. These are all shots of the rock dry. I hammered off a small chunk to get a look inside and 1 or 2 of the pics show the chunk as well. It is covered in crags, is heavy and pretty solid. Looks like parts have agatized (?) but not sure. I would really like to know what kind of rock it is. The parts inside where the rock has broken or where I hammered off are grey and shimmery.

View attachment 1280298 View attachment 1280300 View attachment 1280301 View attachment 1280302 View attachment 1280299

Heidi, love the rock it looks like calcite to me because of the layering in it. Calcite forms everywhere but there are also many different crystalline structures it can form. It take in minerals from its surroundings at times to.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcite
I've seen crazy ones like "plate" calcite to stalagmites and stalactites. Each different due to the surroundings.
 

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Dustedyou

Dustedyou

Hero Member
Dec 27, 2012
611
399
Albuquerque
Detector(s) used
Gold Bug, Treasure finder. Gold Cube, Chisel, Hammer, Eye Loop.
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I am hoping you can help identify this rock. I found it in a dry creek bed in the Cave Junction area of Oregon (Southern) not too far from the Oregon caves. These are all shots of the rock dry. I hammered off a small chunk to get a look inside and 1 or 2 of the pics show the chunk as well. It is covered in crags, is heavy and pretty solid. Looks like parts have agatized (?) but not sure. I would really like to know what kind of rock it is. The parts inside where the rock has broken or where I hammered off are grey and shimmery.

View attachment 1280298 View attachment 1280300 View attachment 1280301 View attachment 1280302 View attachment 1280299

Heidi, love the rock it looks like calcite to me because of the layering in it. Calcite forms everywhere but there are also many different crystalline structures it can form. It take in minerals from its surroundings at times to.

Www.en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcite
I've seen crazy ones like "plate" calcite to stalagmites and stalactites. Each different due to the surroundings.
 

Eu_citzen

Gold Member
Sep 19, 2006
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Llano,
#1 Calcite (calcium carbonate) does seem about right.
#2 Slightly to blurry to make a good guess, I'm afraid.

Cid, hematite? Magnetite?
Test with a magnet and do a streak test. (google it!)

Heidi, a quartz-ish rock? (quartzite, chalcedony come to mind)
 

Mar 2, 2016
43
14
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Hi,
Found this yesterday on the sand among thousands of rocks washed up from a storm. I clean up litter from this beach daily for 5 years and never saw a metallic golden rock like this before. It isn't magnetic and it's very heavy. Any guess about what it could be 20160301_170156.jpg 20160301_150915.jpg
 

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Dustedyou

Dustedyou

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Streak test it, but dolomite and other volcanic rocks can have heavy metallic looks while really not having huge amounts of any real metals, its all in the crystalline structure. My best guess is dolomite or oxidised lava flow.
 

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Dustedyou

Dustedyou

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Dec 27, 2012
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Have fun and you never know what you'll find on the beach m8!
 

Cid1313

Tenderfoot
Mar 1, 2016
8
0
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Llano,
#1 Calcite (calcium carbonate) does seem about right.
#2 Slightly to blurry to make a good guess, I'm afraid.

Cid, hematite? Magnetite?
Test with a magnet and do a streak test. (google it!)

Heidi, a quartz-ish rock? (quartzite, chalcedony come to mind)


Well it is non magnetic, exept where you can clearly see iron oxidization the steak test comes up dark red, how ever i did do a density test and came up with 0.0575 from a 0.23g piece that displaced 4cc. I do not however know if im doing this right. If i calculate it the other way i get a density of 17.39 and from the samples of gold and iron ore that i have i would presume that this is a much more realistic density number, but like i said im not sure im doing the calculations right. And if i am doing it right , it cant much be hematitie be ause they have a specific gravity of 5.30, given the water i used was an unknow temp, but as cold as my tap goes, ( i used RO/DI 0ppm) probly in the temp range of 10degrees C.
 

Last edited:

Cid1313

Tenderfoot
Mar 1, 2016
8
0
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
image.jpg
FYI The sample shown weighs 169 grams or almost exactly 6oz
 

Last edited:

Eu_citzen

Gold Member
Sep 19, 2006
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Well it is non magnetic, exept where you can clearly see iron oxidization the steak test comes up dark red, how ever i did do a density test and came up with 0.0575 from a 0.23g piece that displaced 4cc. I do not however know if im doing this right. If i calculate it the other way i get a density of 17.39 and from the samples of gold and iron ore that i have i would presume that this is a much more realistic density number, but like i said im not sure im doing the calculations right. And if i am doing it right , it cant much be hematitie be ause they have a specific gravity of 5.30, given the water i used was an unknow temp, but as cold as my tap goes, ( i used RO/DI 0ppm) probly in the temp range of 10degrees C.

The red streak proves hematite. But to show my point, see below.

Your math is off, I think you put something in the wrong spot.:occasion14:
First we convert: 4cm3 = 0,04 dm3

Then use the following formula:
grams / dm3 = 0.23/0,04 = 5,75

Water always at room temperature!
A larger piece usually gives off smaller "errors", due to accuracy on scales... such small pieces can be a little so so. (unless you have a good scale) :thumbsup:
 

Cid1313

Tenderfoot
Mar 1, 2016
8
0
Primary Interest:
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The problem is that if i do your math properly i get 57.5
Density Conversion
Using this converter g/cm3 to g/dm3 using my measurments of 0.23g and 4cc aka 4cm^3
 

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