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Post by rockpic on Dec 15, 2011 11:43:08 GMT -5
Here is one that I cant figure out and would really like some assistance. Looks sorta like overdone Druzy. The host it sits on is composed of basalt, its a very thin layer on top mostly black with a few green sparkles"fairy dust"and not many other colors but a little variety on another side. Here is a shot of the surface magnified. Any suggestions would be appreciated!    |
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Post by Barrett on Dec 15, 2011 18:04:28 GMT -5
Barite and mimetite??? or the brown crystals might be siderite
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Post by rockpic on Dec 15, 2011 19:30:42 GMT -5
I can see why you mention barite. I was leaning a little toward wulfenite myself, The crystal growths I had seen in pics are a lot larger then what we see magnified on mine.
The full shot is what it looks like to the naked eye.
You can say the specimen sparkles green everywhere in more lighting. A lot like titanium druzy does?
Thanks for takin a look Barrett.
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Post by Barrett on Dec 16, 2011 0:31:17 GMT -5
Mielke said.."Looks like altered siderite to me as well. The green may be some secondary copper mineral "
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Post by rockpic on Dec 16, 2011 1:08:29 GMT -5
I'll keep that in mind. Except for the scartch result.
You mention a copper mineral mix, I can agree, there is some copper color in the crystals.
Scratch test turns out rusty brown.
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Post by dwtdenver on Dec 16, 2011 12:27:41 GMT -5
I wonder if molybdenite is a possibility.
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Post by Ryan on Dec 17, 2011 4:02:59 GMT -5
Is there any chace there is a uranium mineral on this guy? Ive seen that bright yellow hairy acicular growth on my uranophane specimins but the associated minerology on my piece is totally different. Just curious. Uranyl compounds can make a bright green yellow a lot of times.
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Post by Riviera on Dec 17, 2011 18:00:54 GMT -5
I would say iridescent Siderite.
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Post by rockpic on Dec 17, 2011 19:33:55 GMT -5
Ryan, Is this what your looking for on it? I spotted that silver stuff and zoomed in on it. Hope that helps. I appreciate all the members assistance! I'll try my best to give you some sort of correct reply. Still taking it all in, the vast amount of information out there to learn.   |
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Post by scottr on Dec 18, 2011 13:29:56 GMT -5
marcasite blades?
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Post by rockpic on Dec 18, 2011 19:26:58 GMT -5
Siderite, I think the Crystal is a little different.
The Marcasite blades , yeah I say it looks like similar crystal pattern.
The crystal growth over top of the "lets say for now Marcasite" is really interesting, coming from iron spots-spore? I'm guessing that's what the yellow stuff is.
Uranium, Havent touched it since you mentioned that. lol
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Post by Ryan on Dec 19, 2011 2:53:58 GMT -5
I was merely blurting out conjecture based on color alone. Nothing scientific and I am NOT the strongest geologic mind on this board by a long shot. But in the bottom pic, top right, theres a greenish yellow spikey thing. Looks like a mm or two in size. Im sure the other guys are closer, and it may just be a lens flare artifact, but spikey radiating hairlike yellow crystals could be uranophane or uraninite. Probably not though. Its typically located in igneous type rocks like pegmatites and such. We have uranium compounds here in Pa on sandstone near the town of Jim Thorpe.
As for the silvery stuff, could it be arsenopyrite? Describe the geologic setting this came from if you could. Any notable mining operations in the area? Copper, iron, uranium, etc...? Also, is this vein material or secondary growth on country rock? All that helps. Thanks for posting!
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Post by rockpic on Dec 19, 2011 20:48:44 GMT -5
Thats fine, you know more then me! This one is a flow over top of hard ass basalt. Maybe 1 to 2 mm thick. The spot it came from all basalt I cant tell you what sort of cataclysm happend, guessing volcanoes.The only thing coming of this outcrop is precious opal in basalt.
The next mountain over we are removing agate,calcite,quartz, drusy, and i read gold on the other side plus others in the quartz family. Defunct amethyst, nothing I have found purple as of yet but not far they have. Thunder egg with purple drusy i am guessing in it, have some shots and never seen one like it before. Really nice. Wanna see it? It is sliced now.
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Post by rockpic on Dec 19, 2011 21:39:00 GMT -5
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Post by CrossfireBusiness on Dec 19, 2011 23:58:30 GMT -5
Iam no scientist but that is awesome !!!..
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Post by mikeyrocks on Dec 21, 2011 4:34:15 GMT -5
Nice photo work. The sliced piece is gorgeous, very nice......I would be free form cutting designer cabochons out of those pieces.
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Post by rockpic on Dec 21, 2011 20:13:38 GMT -5
Hey guys thanks for the compliments! Now thats true dedication to ones interests Crossfire! I like it. Here something I've had laying around a couple years and thought it might be jade but i dont think so. Any ideas? Or has anybody seen anything similar to it?     |
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Post by Craig on Dec 21, 2011 20:33:17 GMT -5
Hi Rockpic,
I was looking at your pictures at the top/beginning of this thread and my guess is that the light blue mineral mixed with the Malachite is Chrysocolla.
Take Care,
Craig
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Post by rockpic on Dec 21, 2011 20:52:49 GMT -5
Yepp... What do you think of the first specimen as being Limonite with the start of Chrysocolla growth?
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Post by mikeyrocks on Dec 21, 2011 22:11:28 GMT -5
On the last piece (pictures posted).......this resembles a number of pieces of opalite I have come across. Does it feel warmer to the touch than quartz or rock. I touch material to my wrist for this test; also the piece should not be held too long before doing this test as it warms the sample.
See if it will scratch with a piece of quartz....if so it is softer and possibly an opalite. The peruvian blue opal looks like this piece as well as some opal pieces I have seen that come from Oregon.
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Post by rockpic on Dec 21, 2011 22:26:13 GMT -5
Mickey, I have done the scratch test and quartz does not scratch it but sapphire does. It's quite hard.
I apoligize, I rescratched it a couple more times just now with raw sapphires and still nothing, but scratched my sapphires?
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Post by rockpic on Dec 21, 2011 23:13:49 GMT -5
What do you guys think of maybe...Stishovite?
Nope cant be wrong structure.
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Post by Craig on Dec 22, 2011 1:54:35 GMT -5
Hi Rockpic,
The Top pictures, The green is Malachite, I'm pretty sure the light blue Mineral is Chrysocolla and the silver streak is Chalcopyrite.
Craig
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Post by rockpic on Dec 22, 2011 8:40:28 GMT -5
I concour about all three you mention Craig. Its one mixed up specimen just like me. lol Thanks for the help.
The very last pics I posted, what are the chances it could be some sort of impact stone? A diamond did scratch it, sapphires would not. And how would it form inbetween the other rock?
Some are floating in that green to black stuff. Frozen in time.
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Post by Craig on Dec 22, 2011 9:53:38 GMT -5
Interesting idea indeed. It certainly could be. Let me take a closer look.
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Post by Craig on Dec 22, 2011 9:59:44 GMT -5
Your Scratch test is interesting and since it's hard, how about Flint?
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Post by Craig on Dec 22, 2011 10:02:05 GMT -5
Hi Rockpic, or Chert?  |
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Post by Craig on Dec 22, 2011 12:48:31 GMT -5
Hi Rockpic,
If it was an impact site, the first thing to look for is fractured quartz and or any fused minerals.
Craig
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Post by arappaho on Dec 22, 2011 21:29:16 GMT -5
Very nice specimens all, Rockpic,
That last green material looks like Chalcedony. Cryptocrystaline
quartz. Should be a hard 7 on Mohs but I often go ahead and call
some of it an 8. The corundum should scratch it.
Flint and chert are chalcedony, as well as jasper and agate. Green
chalcedony is called Chrysoprase. The broken nature of the host rock
could be called brecciated, so some may choose to call this a
brecciated agate or jasper. If the green color is as true in person
as it looks like in the pic I would call it Chrysoprase.
Take your pick. Real pretty material.
Keep up the hunt.
Joe
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Post by rockpic on Dec 22, 2011 23:35:06 GMT -5
You guys are a wealth of information.
Chrysoprase that I have is translucent, I cant see any light at all coming through so could it still be? I like your thoughts on chert or flint and it fits the description down to types of colors and appearance.
I did try hitting it hard with some steel objects, but no sparks.
The hardness test I'll try it again.
Thanks
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