What's new

Thought it was obsidian, not sure now

PennyG

Sr. Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2014
Messages
431
Reaction score
284
Golden Thread
0
Location
Texas
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Found these scattered throughout my cousin's driveway along with other lots in his neighborhood. Same area where I have found many fossils. I'm thinking all these were relocated here via gravel truck for the purpose of using rock in the driveways. East Texas area. Smooth in the middle , bubbly on one side, somewhat smooth on the other. Looks smooth and black until you put a light up to them and they are what appears to be a mossy green /brown color. I don't think it's slag and I don't think it's man made glass.
Larger pieces , probably the weight of a roll of pennies ( sorry no scale on me).
Any ideas? And should I go back to pay my cousin a visit just to collect more [emoji6]. They were everywhere in the red dirt. ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489454076.874826.webpImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489454092.426792.webpImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489454142.780139.webpImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489454187.836045.webpImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489454209.706084.webpImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489454231.621284.webpImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489454290.757785.webp
 
Looks like slag.
 
Upvote 0
Looks like slag.

I thought the same. However, the center being translucent and the color it is when light is shining through it, made me think differently.
I have many pieces of slag and this is nothing like those pieces.
I'll get pictures of some of them that have nice , what appears, to be brown streaking through them .
 
Upvote 0
It would be unusual for such a large amount of obsidian to be used for drive gravels. Its a glass of some sort, note the bubbles in the translucent bit, and there are many infinite variations on slags. Could be old bottle plant waste just from the coloration and a cheap source of decorative gravel.
 
Upvote 0
I spoke with my cousin and he said he didn't think it was originally part of the driveway gravel. Over the years the gravel has worn away and exposed the red dirt underneath. I did dig it out a bit.
I did a lil searching this morning and from what I've found that looks similar is rough obsidian . Holding it in my hands it just doesn't fit the description of slag that I've seen. And it's not just in his driveway or under his driveway, it's in fields. Anywhere the red dirt is showing. I've been there several times and it's the first I've seen it.
I hate not knowing lol .
 
Upvote 0
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489508824.682301.webp

Translucent
Conchoidal fractures
Scratch test : can't scratch with a penny or knife but a crystal will scratch it.
 
Upvote 0
I thought the same. However, the center being translucent and the color it is when light is shining through it, made me think differently.
I have many pieces of slag and this is nothing like those pieces.
I'll get pictures of some of them that have nice , what appears, to be brown streaking through them .

:) Slags come in all kinds of colours and levels of transparencies, in fact I've seen perfectly transparent slag from fire assaying.
Opaque slag from bloom-iron making and translucent (blue) slag from copper production.

Some of the finest slags I've seen was blue slag from cobalt, I believe it even is used as a pigment.
 
Upvote 0
:) Slags come in all kinds of colours and levels of transparencies, in fact I've seen perfectly transparent slag from fire assaying.
Opaque slag from bloom-iron making and translucent (blue) slag from copper production.

Some of the finest slags I've seen was blue slag from cobalt, I believe it even is used as a pigment.

Sounds very pretty.
Reminds me, we found a piece of thick blue sea glass in the middle of the woods up here in Arkansas. Thinking it must have been dropped by someone.
 
Upvote 0
Sanded the surface a bit and polished it up.
ImageUploadedByTreasureNet.com1489532364.032562.webp

Pretty cool glass.
 
Upvote 0
the bubbles tell me it is not obsidian
you really look in driveways?
 
Upvote 0
Correct, it's slag. Yes, I look everywhere. I do not discriminate.[emoji6]
 
Upvote 0
Picked up a bunch of neat stuff in drive ways, decorative divides and beds :)
 
Upvote 0
Picked up a bunch of neat stuff in drive ways, decorative divides and beds :)

When I lived up in Illinois I'd find the same rocks and fossils in a bag of river pebbles purchased at Menards as I would on the shores of Lake Michigan.
Similar situation with my cousin's driveway in East Texas lol. A lot of fossils and cool rocks.
 
Upvote 0

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom