whats on this quartz rock?

[ywevis]

what's on this quartz rock?



it's like a thin layer of quartz over the existing quartz.. Pretty wierd.

 

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[rocme44]

Seems common, a variety of quartz mixed with other rock and mineral.

Good luck

 

[ywevis]

 

[Astrobouncer]

The black looks to be graphitic slate. The circled area (and below it to the side) looks like druzy to me.

 

[Lotus Geologist]

Photographs are of limited utility for rock and/or mineral identification. It is near impossible to correctly observe a mineral's luster (which is often diagnostic) from a static photo.

That said, the overlying "white" you speak of is mostly likely quartz of a different genesis than the underlying quartz (simply because SiO2 is the most common mineral). Alternatively, and near equaly likely, the "white" is plagioclase or calcite. Impossible to tell without having the sample in front of me; however, exceedingly easy to tell with 100% confidence if the sample was in front of me (or any other geologist or mineralogist).

Best... L.G.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Photographs are of limited utility for rock and/or mineral identification. It is near impossible to correctly observe a mineral's luster (which is often diagnostic) from a static photo.

That said, the overlying "white" you speak of is mostly likely quartz of a different genesis than the underlying quartz (simply because SiO2 is the most common mineral). Alternatively, and near equaly likely, the "white" is plagioclase or calcite. Impossible to tell without having the sample in front of me; however, exceedingly easy to tell with 100% confidence if the sample was in front of me (or any other geologist or mineralogist).

Best... L.G.

Sounds like a pretty good guess without having the sample in front of you! Much better than I could do.

YWEVIS, it appears that the quartz and whatever else was in solution was forced up along some fracture zones (maybe in multiple events), then it solidified and left the white solid fillings in the cracks.

The cool thing about this process is how metallic minerals are often forced up in solution with the nonmetallic minerals. I've seen some beautiful gold, copper, pyrite, galena, etc. cubed or crystallized out in this way in similar "crack fills".

Great question on your part as that's the way to learn. The only dumb question when you don't know what you're looking at is the one you never ask.

All the best,

Lanny

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