Never seen anything like this!

[DeputyProspector]

As I was panning out some material I had brought home from a buddies claim, I noticed this rock with a layer of metallic sheen on one side. The odd thing about this metallic layer, is that when it hits the light, it shows a rainbow type sheen, similar to how soap gives off that strange rainbow color. The picture doesn't really do it justice, and mind you, this rock had not hit my panning water, it was, and had been, completely dry (BONE dry at the creek).

If anyone has any clue, let me know!

 

[golden sluice]

Hard to close the book on this one... looks kinda like calico pyrite?

 

[DeputyProspector]

That was my initial thought, it's somewhat soft. Although I know next to nothing about minerals other than gold, I've never known pyrite to be rainbow-esque haha

 

[DizzyDigger]

Deputy: reprocessed your pic, and hopefully I was able
to bring out some of that rainbow. Didn't add any color,
but adjusted the exposure, contrast, and sharpened it a bit.

 

[DeputyProspector]

Son of a gun! Thanks dizzy, makes it a little easier to inspect! Any opinions on it?

 

[Eu_citzen]

Chalcopyrite was suggested above, I'm tempted to agree. try scratching it with a knife, if it scratches - chalcopyrite.

 

[Turkısh Man]

I agree ,it is chalcopyrite,contains small amount Gold.

 

[MrLee]

Agree with the others. Get ready to see a LOT more of it.

 

[hvacker]

Bornite (peacock stone)

 

[DeputyProspector]

Definitely appears to be chalcopyrite, after some research, it looks almost identical (with the iridescent sheen), AND it does indeed flake off when scratched with surgical steel tweezers. Thanks for the awesome help guys! That's why I post here!

Here's a comparison, photo 1 is my rock, photo 2 is an example from google images. Thanks to dizzydigger for enhancing the photo!

 

[hvacker]

Bornite on quartz.







It has the same peacock colors as your stone.

 

[Eu_citzen]

Bornite often has a copper red colour before it oxides. So it's usually quite easy to ID.

 

[DeputyProspector]

Hey hvacker, that looks like gold to me!

 

[hvacker]

Hey hvacker, that looks like gold to me!

Ya, I know but it's not. A tad light. It was given to me years ago by a man that had a huge collection of museum grade specimens because I took an interest.
And yes, once oxidation sets in the stone will produce colors from reds,yellows, and purples. It's a pretty rock.
One of my mineral books lists bornite with chalcopyrite because of a chemical similarity both being copper iron sulfides.

 

[Brian T. Booth]

Ya, I know but it's not. A tad light. It was given to me years ago by a man that had a huge collection of museum grade specimens because I took an interest. And yes, once oxidation sets in the stone will produce colors from reds,yellows, and purples. It's a pretty rock. One of my mineral books lists bornite with chalcopyrite because of a chemical similarity both being copper iron sulfides.

I agree in that it's a copper type of sulfide.