Wild Rocks

[nwillis858]

I recently inherited some hand samples that belonged to my geologist grandfather. I have been able to identify most all of them but two of them baffle me.

One of them appears to be some sort of olivine with phenocrysts of quartz surrounded by dark green rinds. What confuses me is that every sample of olivine I have ever seen have are weathered and brown on any surface that has been exposed for any amount of time. This sample has smooth faces that look as though they have been acted on by some sort of weathering process, yet those faces are just as brilliant and green as the freshly busted faces. The other comment I would have is that it seems to me the individual grains in the sample are a bit on the small size compared to all the other olivine samples I have handled.



The other strange rock is an absolutely wild purple color with dark green phenocrysts. Don't know what else there is to say about it than that.



Of course knowing where they came from would be a big help but unfortunately my grandfather took those secrets with him before I was even born so I have not the slightest idea where these came from.

 

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[Kray Gelder]

The first one looks like partially metamorphosed sandstone, with small quartz vugs or pockets. The second I suggest you look at Stichite and Serpentine.