Looking for ID...any ideas

[jglunt]

I found this while looking for interesting stones for my tumbler in the Muskegon River here in Michigan. I'm a newbie at this but I'm getting hooked more by the day. The colors in the pics are pretty close and it's the wide non-crystaline layers inside that I find interesting as well as the light, almost white outer color. Any guesses? I tested hardness on the smooth layer and it won't scratch with a knife but does scratch (barely) with quartz. Is it a shale of some kind? Thanks, Jim.

 

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[vibes]

Hi Jim!
yep, it's chert. Dark chert is flint. And red chert is jasper. Add agate to the mix as well.

I live on the Indiana/Michigan border and have my share of chert. I almost used "chert in the dirt" as my user name

 

[jglunt]

Thanks for the info. I've got a lot to learn about id'ing all the rocks around here and I learn something new just about every day. I sure wish this area had gemstone deposits but it's fun anyway. I did try to strike a spark on steel with a piece of it the Chert but was unsuccessful. maybe I just didn't do it right. I'll throw some in the Tumbler and see how it polishes up.

Jim