Is it a rock or a piece of scrap?

[Dougie Webb]

Seems this is a question that perplexes me a lot.

This little piece is about an inch by an inch, it registered a strong and consistent 63-67 on the Ace 200. I've never found anything in that range that wasn't a ketchup or Swisher Sweets package. It's heavy (specific gravity is ~5.5) and it's almost completely flat. Completely non-magnetic. It sounds kinda like a quarter when you drop it on the counter. Leaves a gray streak - both the exposed metal and the "coating." Found near Atlanta about three inches deep in a public park. Nothing else within a couple of feet of it.

I was sure it was a rock of some kind, but nothing made sense, so I decided to do some sanding on the edges. It revealed the shiny metal you see, which made me start thinking "scrap junk" with oxidation. BUT, it's def not iron, so oxidation doesn't really make sense.

If anyone has a wild guess, I'd appreciate any and all efforts. Thanks!

Sanded it to reveal the exposed metal




A close-up of the surface taken with my cheap digital microscope. This looks strangely like a map of North America and Europe.

 

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[GoldieLocks]

Pyrite with soldering of melted aluminum on the side? Map, you are not kidding us buddy.

 

[pepperj]

3 scrap metals off the top.
Aluminum
Magnesium-squirt of vinegar-it will foam
zinc

 

[bfloyd4445]

Have you checked to see if it is radioactive? It reminds me of what i have seen in the Nevada desert. uranium is like 50 times denser than lead and can be found any place. Looks will vary depending upon the host rock.
Try a black light on it. It may very well be pitchblend

 

[Kray Gelder]

Have you checked to see if it is radioactive? It reminds me of what i have seen in the Nevada desert. uranium is like 50 times denser than lead and can be found any place. Looks will vary depending upon the host rock.
Try a black light on it. It may very well be pitchblend

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Uranium is not found in metallic form in nature. It is recovered as an oxide, and rich deposits will only have about 20 % Uranium oxide.

 

[bfloyd4445]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Uranium is not found in metallic form in nature. It is recovered as an oxide, and rich deposits will only have about 20 % Uranium oxide.

not sure but it is often found with lead and can be heavy. And it usually isnt very radioactive in natural state. Back in the sixties i got a chance to go prospecting with a couple of guys, one i worked for part time and the other his hired geologist to investigate the area of my bosses mine in the mountains east of the humbolt river and there was talk of uranium in the area. The pix that started this thread looked like a couple of the samples taken on that trip. Was common back then to locate and filing claims on deposits. ....chuckle... don't think anyone made any money off the effort. Was beautiful country. Ed mine was for some kind of mineral used in smelting some kind of ore. So long ado

 

[Dougie Webb]

Guys, at the advice of some folks on the Rock Hounds facebook group, I decided to throw it in a pot and see if I could get things to separate. There were several in the group who were convinced the rock had gold in it, which wasn't even on my radar. As it began to melt, things sure enough separated, and I saw a distinctive golden-colored blob floating. I couldn't get it out before it dispersed, but after putting the cooled metals under a cheap microscope, I found several small flecks that appear pretty convincing.

What do you guys think?

A screenshot from my microscope


And a gold vs pyrite comparison pic I pulled from google