This poured out of a quartz vug..

[fuss]

I cracked open a quartz rock today and in the center is a vug that spilled out what looked like fine dirt on my desk. I was about to brush it into the garbage but decided to look at it through a loupe and noticed the crystal's. I brushed the pile into a sandwich bag with a finger and most of it just smeard into dust sized grains..The crystal made it into the bag and that's how I shot it using a point and shoot camera through the loupe through the bag...so not very good image quality. So the crystal is very small not visible with out magnification..maybe the size of a few sand grains clumped together.

Looks like a quartz crystal but the color is black, any thoughts?

found the rock in northern WI.

 

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[Indian Steve]

Very Cool and Very Smart of you to look.

 

[DDancer]

Very small garnets. Good catch.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Small quartz crystals with a black oxide(?) covering.

 

[stdenis_jd]

Small quartz crystals with a black oxide(?) covering.

I 2nd that. That's a common structure of a double terminated quartz crystal. Either irradiated (smoky) quartz or a coating of manganese oxide IMO. I'm leaning toward irradiated and somewhat decomposing

 

[DDancer]

Could be that too. Its pretty uniform. Very small crystals can be a challenge to identify. Try taking a small amount and crushing it fine then streak it on a piece of porcelain for color. Oxide coated quartz or smokey quartz should show up black with shiny clear bits, garnet will show up reddish and sparkles.

 

[fuss]

Will do Dancer.

 

[fuss]

how should I streak test this?

Using my finger and pressing down while dragging did not work, it sunk into my finger to much to get proper pressure.

 

[smokeythecat]

I'm thinking something other than quartz. Perhaps zircons or a semi metal. I have books, but I'd have to check.

 

[DDancer]

Thats why I suggested crushing a small sample and streaking that across for color. You'll also have to do a better picture in full sunlight. At least one can be fairly certain its hard material.

 

[Rookster]

Glad you found it.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Thats why I suggested crushing a small sample and streaking that across for color. You'll also have to do a better picture in full sunlight. At least one can be fairly certain its hard material.

If it's a coating you could streak-test it directly?