• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

Geology Science

Pro7

Unregistered
P
Joined
Jan 24, 2007
Messages
389
A rock that I found when I was a kid.

You can read my other website on this specific rock.

http://www.angelfire.com/magic2/mysteriousstone/

What could it be?... some say its a river rock.. some say its a meteorite that fell thousands of years ago ..but was smoothed out by water erosion..

Even some say its a possible dinosaur egg.. due to weird looking "holes" in this rock..
 
It's a rock. No dinosaurs or UFOs were harmed in the making of this rock.
 
goak69 said:
The kind of rock you have looks similar to what here in Sweden is often found in proximity of "giant kettles".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giants_kettle
Click to expand...

If you hold the stone out in the sun, you can see the transparency of the "shell" which shows lite green to dark green color which is inside the stone.

I still think its a unusual quartzite or even a huge emerald stone but was washed by water after all these years, causing a shell to form on top of the emerald.

Would it be nice if that is true? a real huge emerald ? I wonder the value on that? lol
 
If you live near a university with a geology department, maybe you could make an appointment to have it examined. Someone there may be able to shed some light on it. Or not.

Good luck.
 
To identify a rock, you need either to see it in situ, or to study it's internal strucure and mineralogy.
If you are sampling a rock in a particular area, you need fresh samples broken from the rock body. What you really do not want is a polished cobble, which is what you seem to have here.

If you really want to know what it is internally, put it on a steel plate and hit it with a sledgehammer. You can then examine a freshly broken internal surface.

I can't tell what it is from the photos, beyond saying it's a cobble and apparently water polished. It might well be quartzite. It sure isn't an emerald.

If anyone can give you a more precise analysis off the internet, he must have a better monitor than I have.
ETA There are several geologists here. Kitten, Correa Neto. Fishbob. Desertyeti for a start.
I'm a GeologiSSt. That's someone who studied rocks at Uni 30 years ago , only does it as a hobby these days, but still identifies with the mindset, like Rincewind the Wizzard.
 
Last edited:
Soapy Sam said:
To identify a rock, you need either to see it in situ, or to study it's internal strucure and mineralogy.
If you are sampling a rock in a particular area, you need fresh samples broken from the rock body. What you really do not want is a polished cobble, which is what you seem to have here.

If you really want to know what it is internally, put it on a steel plate and hit it with a sledgehammer. You can then examine a freshly broken internal surface.

I can't tell what it is from the photos, beyond saying it's a cobble and apparently water polished. It might well be quartzite. It sure isn't an emerald.

If anyone can give you a more precise analysis off the internet, he must have a better monitor than I have.
ETA There are several geologists here. Kitten, Correa Neto. Fishbob. Desertyeti for a start.
I'm a GeologiSSt. That's someone who studied rocks at Uni 30 years ago , only does it as a hobby these days, but still identifies with the mindset, like Rincewind the Wizzard.
Click to expand...

cool..

The word "emerald" came from when I took the rock outside in the bright sun. You can see whats inside it.. as if the "shell" is becoming like glass..

its very greenish color.. very pretty.. I have been, time to time, tempted to crack open the rock, but it would ruin the true value, would it?

Yea i will need to make new photos.. those photos in that website is over or is about 2 years old..

I got an idea.. hmm maybe its time to crack it open but to take pictures of it at the same time to share with you guys.. I had this thing since I was 13.. now Im 34.. so.. I think it is time to do that..
 
Last edited:
Pro7 said:
I got an idea.. hmm maybe its time to crack it open but to take pictures of it at the same time to share with you guys.. I had this thing since I was 13.. now Im 34.. so.. I think it is time to do that..
Click to expand...

Pro7, are you sure that determining the nature of the rock is worth more than your affection for it? Think it over. From what you've written, the rock is worth more to you as a memento/talisman than as a geological entity.
 
It's a piece of cloudy quartz, tumbled as a cobble in a watercourse. We have these by the farm-load in many rivers in Australia.

Value: NIL.
 
[Non-smart @$$ mode]
Find somebody with a rock saw, and cut a thin slab from one side. This will still affect the shape of your rock (a flat side), but is not nearly as traumatic as the hammer method. Do destructive testing on the slab.

Simple non-destructive tests you can do at home:
Moh Hardness tests: In an out of the way spot see if you can you scratch the rock with a nail or piece of glass. If so, hardness is less than 5 or 5.5 - so not emerald or quartizite. If you have a piece of quartz, see if that will make a scratch mark. If so, hardness less than 7 or so. Things harder than 7 tend to be quite valuable. Do not use a diamond or other gemstone - firstly, it won't tell you anything you don't already know, and secondly, gemstones can be easily knocked out of whatever setting they are in and lost in the carpet and that really upsets the owner.

Put a few drops of acid (something stronger than vinegar) on it, see if it fizzes. If not, this rules out limestone and marble. Unlikely, but absolutely non-destructive - will a magnet stick to it?
 
Note: The measurement pictures were taken upside down so you can view the measurements.
Click to expand...

What the %@$!?

Gotta get yourself one of those right-side-up tape-measures .. more expensive than the budget models.. but well worth it! :)
 
Looks like a quartzite cobble to this archeologist. Just because you found it in the desert doesn't mean it can't be water worn. The area you found it in is not that far from the Snake River. There are any number of ways it might have reached the place you found it. Is there evidence of a flood plain or playa? This is, afterall, the northern edge of the Great Basin. It's also possible the stone could have been transported into the area by Native Americans. From the photos you posted I don't see any use wear, but that may be difficult to tell from photos.

Would you happen to have an overview photo of the area you found it in? That might make it easier to identify. Provienence is everything.
 
Slimething said:
Pro7, are you sure that determining the nature of the rock is worth more than your affection for it? Think it over. From what you've written, the rock is worth more to you as a memento/talisman than as a geological entity.
Click to expand...

hmm yea hmm..

Its very pretty green when its in sunlight.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom