Silver Rock?

[Nana40]

What is it?
My daughter bought a house a couple of years ago. I saw two rocks in the flower garden the day she was moving in. Bright silver. I assumed they must have been painted rocks. I can remember years ago that some of the older folks would spray paint rocks to add a little something to their flower gardens, so I assumed this must be the case with these two rocks...... Not the case. Today I was at Shannon's noticed the rocks again and asked her about them. She didn't know either. We talked a bit about it and being curious I said maybe we should see if they were silver painted or silver all the way through. So she picked one up and tossed it onto the cement drive. It chipped a bit and it's silver all the way through. What is it?

Thanks!
Nana

 

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[tchaire]

No rock expert here, but kind of looks like Mica.

T.

 

[Jeffro]

Best guess would be Mica as well, although I have seen serpentine out here that looks similar, just a little greener.

 

[Wetgreenie]

I was thinking it could be Silicon?

http://www.webelements.com/webelements/elements/text/Si/key.html

 

[bakergeol]

Can't really say as you would need a photo with a closeup of a fresh surface. From the straight cut was this rock cut with a diamond saw?

My Mom was also a rock hound. I used to find a lot of cut rocks in her flower garden.(She cut them with a diamond saw I give her)

Will be an interesting specimen as some rockhound took the time to cut it with a large diamond saw(they are not cheap either). Rockhounds always bring back the most interesting rocks.

George

 

[Blind.In.Texas]

Neat rock. I wonder if it came from outer space.

Laater...

 

[Eu_citzen]

Is it magnetic??
Galena?? or Silicon would be my guess..

 

[silverswede]

The silver in the galena ore from the mines up here actually looks black and the lead is the shiney stuff.

 

[Nana40]

Thanks ya'll! I spent a few minutes trying to get better pictures, but I think I will have to wait till daylight. The flash on the shiney surface is a nightmare to photograph! It is non-magnetic.

George...I have no idea who cut it or what was used to cut it....


Here's the pics I took tonight.

Thanks again!

Nana

 

[stoney56]

Does it sound off on your detector?

 

[bakergeol]

Yeah, I am afraid this rock does not photograph well because of it's reflective surface. Probably have to let a rockhound or a geologist look at it.



George

 

[Wetgreenie]

Hmmm, It does look a little different in the new pics.....

Maybe it's just a ball of aluminum foil with a chicken bone in it?

It almost looks like there are some fibers in the material.
silicon will chip or flake but I don't think would have any fibers in it.

If perhaps there were hairy glass like fibers that poke out, or can be peeled off.
don't cut of grind it!

 

[EggyOG]

I would bet the bank that it is specular hematite. Do you end up with little sparkles on your fingers after you touch it? If you do, it's specular. I would post a pic, but there isn't a standard "look" to it. It actually changes from one side of a mine to the other. It can have more dense areas and also quartz veining thru it or quartzite attached to it. It can even have crystals of garnets and magnetite. It also bands with jasper. It is not magnetic, it doesn't rust, its about 60 percent iron, and can be shiny on all surfaces. It also doesn't polish or photograph well.

 

[bakergeol]

I would bet the bank that it is specular hematite. Do you end up with little sparkles on your fingers after you touch it? If you do, it's specular. I would post a pic, but there isn't a standard "look" to it. It actually changes from one side of a mine to the other. It can have more dense areas and also quartz veining thru it or quartzite attached to it. It can even have crystals of garnets and magnetite. It also bands with jasper. It is not magnetic, it doesn't rust, its about 60 percent iron, and can be shiny on all surfaces. It also doesn't polish or photograph well.

If it is hematite it should have a red streak. Streak it on the poreclain on your toilet.
Usually minerals with a hardness of 7 or greater have no streak.

George

 

[stoney56]

If you do run a streak test, you'll need an unglazed portion of your toilet. Something like the underside of your tank lid. Sorry George, didn't mean to undercut you.

 

[bakergeol]

If you do run a streak test, you'll need an unglazed portion of your toilet. Something like the underside of your tank lid. Sorry George, didn't mean to undercut you.

That was a good point stoney. I use actual streak plates so my experience in toilet streaking is limited(Should be a joke in there somewhere).



George

 

[stoney56]

That was a good point stoney. I use actual streak plates so my experience in toilet streaking is limited(Should be a joke in there somewhere).



George

I'm sure there is but I prefer a Tidy Bowl. (a little flushed) LOL

 

[Nana40]

OK, OK ya'll!

Here's my latest on this rock......

It does make my detector beep....reads as 0-foil. And it does scratch the 'bottom of the porcelain tank top'. It leaves a silver/grey streak. AND I did take a few pictures today. They turned out a bit better. I have noticed a very few flakes coming off it, but not many.

Thanks ya'll!!
Nana

 

[TreasureTales]

Can you scratch the smooth surface with a knife blade? The streak isn't red so that rules out hematite. Silver ore is actually a bluish color, so that would rule out that, unless it was a huge silver nugget, which I doubt. Hmmm, the mystery continues.


stoney, your joke tanked. (hehehe)

 

[Kansas]

I don't know what it is, but I have a couple of pieces just like yours Nana.
I picked them up in a railyard where there was a spill of them from a rail car.
I would take a picture, but they are covered with ice and snow right now.

~KANSAS~