Any rock hounds out there who can help?

[Luau]

These are in my yard in some abundance; the previous owners liked them quite a bit. They are extremely heavy and don’t break very easily. I have spent hours surfing the net trying to see something even remotely resembling them so I can figure just what they are but I cannot find anything.

If anyone has a suggestion, I would appreciate any assistance in identifying them.

Thank you!

 

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[Noah_D]

Welcome to TNet! I think it kind of looks like slag. Just my opinion though. Someone more knowledgeable will probably come along and give a more definite answer so hang tight.

 

[Nrah]

Possibly iron ore ? Is there a sulpur odor?

 

[TreasureCatto]

Try a magnet on them. May be iron slag, the cutouts and vasicular texture make it look that way.

Welcome from Texas

 

[tamrock]

Clinker, could be waste of a coal fired power plant or smelting operation which would be slag. I believe its the result of the impurities, such as silica left by burning impure coal.

 

[old digger]

Welcome to tnet!

Where are you from? Looks like volcanic rock.

 

[vpnavy]

1st - I noticed this was your very first post - so, Welcome Aboard Luau! You didn't list your state (or country) in your profile. So, you might consider jumping over to Sub-Forum: Select Your Area.... for information (i.e., clubs, hunts, finds, legends, maps, etc.) directly related to your state (or country). You might also consider adding your state (or country) to your displayed profile (SETTINGS -> EDIT PROFILE) - members may have more success helping you (your location may help, etc.)...

2nd - You might consider posting your pictures on ROCKS/GEMS for more exposure...

 

[Luau]

Possibly iron ore ? Is there a sulpur odor?

Thank you for your response; no odor at all.

 

[Luau]

Thank you for the welcome! I am from northwest North Dakota but I appreciate the link.

 

[Luau]

Northwest North Dakota.

 

[Luau]

Thank you for the welcome! I will work on the profile; I am in northwest North Dakota.

 

[Luau]

Thank you! I’m in northwest North Dakota.

 

[DDancer]

Welcome to the forum Luau. You'll find me in the Rock forum here typically and you can try posting down there as well. What I'm seeing is slag waste from some mining/refining operation that the previous owners used for decorative rock. Not real common but it looks like they found some attractive bits there. It maybe that if you look into the previous owners one of them worked in the industry and brought the material home.

 

[old digger]

You can find a lot of that volcanic material between Sheridan and Gillette Wyoming to the east and north.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

I'm with Noah D.

Looks to me like ore and smelting slag from an iron making furnace.

 

[unclemac]

slag

 

[Plug N Play]

Slag vs. Rock vs. Clinker
How about all three ?

I'm leaning with old digger, ... natural rock ... and I'm with others ... slag ... and gotta go with coal clinkers, also.

When asked how might a sedimentary rock become a metamorphic rock, this was his answer:



Steve Dutch, Retired geoscience professor; 36 years

Melting it. As a general rule, by the time it melts, it will technically have become a metamorphic rock.

However, this is very common in Wyoming and North Dakota

The black stuff is slag, formed by melting sedimentary rocks as coal seams burned underground. The pink stuff is baked shale, basically clay cooked into brick, but naturally. So technically it’s metamorphic.


Burning underground coal seams leaving slag and "clinkers".