Need help identifying a rock..

Hope this is in the right area. Please move accordingly if not.

I found this rock in Sarasota Florida. Our job site required 3 dump trucks of shell rock for the road in. I noticed it on the side of the path after it was steamrolled. It was the only one of its kind. I searched the area where the loads were dumped and i didnt see anything else that was black. To be honest, it is very heavy for a rock this small to me. Unfortunately all i have is a 1.3 mega pixel cell phone. Would really like to know if anyone has a clue or can guide me in the right direction to find out.

i188.photobucket.com...
i188.photobucket.com...
i188.photobucket.com...
i188.photobucket.com...

Guess i cant post pics on the main site yet.

reply to post by SKinLaB


What about some Hi Res pictures?

reply to post by SKinLaB


Looks like obsidain or black onyx.

Most likely the latter, since obsidian isn't common in your region.

where the heck did you manage to find JET?! lol and where did you find it?

It could possibly be obsidian; seeing as the material where you found it was apparently trucked in, it's hard to assign its original location. It would be helpful if you could do a scratch test. Obsidian is relatively "soft", with a hardness around 5.5 on the Mohr scale. (Quartz by comparison is around 7.) So if, for example, it won't scratch ordinary glass (which quartz will) then it's softer than quartz.

A scratch test is one of the easiest ways of narrowing down the material's nature. Its relative density is also useful but that's a bit harder to determine.

Mike

Originally posted by TedHodgson
where the heck did you manage to find JET?! lol and where did you find it?

Jet? I dont understand. Please elaborate.

reply to post by SKinLaB


Would really like to know if anyone has a clue or can guide me in the right direction to find out.


I'm sorry to sound like such a skeptic, but all I see are rocks...





Couldn't resist...Armap may be able to help.

reply to post by SKinLaB


its a black stone used in jewllery over near where i live i think, theres not many places its found in abundance, bet yeah it looks like unpolished jet to me

I need to see higher resolution images, but it doesn't look like obsidian to me.

I work with rocks all day and I can spot obsidian when I see it.

If it's heavy, it may be a meteorite. Is it magnetic?

If it is a meteorite, it's valuable.

Im quite sure its this stuff gwydir.demon.co.uk... , thats what it looks like when its polished of course

Originally posted by facelift
reply to post by SKinLaB

 

Would really like to know if anyone has a clue or can guide me in the right direction to find out.


I'm sorry to sound like such a skeptic, but all I see are rocks...

Couldn't resist...Armap may be able to help.

For real dude? Did i say it was of alien origin or that it fell from a spaceship or that it was part from an alien spacecraft dumping its septic tank? Ummm, no... All im saying is i dont know what kind of rock it is and would like to know.. Hell, i could be sitting on an alien deuce and dont even know it......

Originally posted by denaliland
I need to see higher resolution images, but it doesn't look like obsidian to me.

I work with rocks all day and I can spot obsidian when I see it.

If it's heavy, it may be a meteorite. Is it magnetic?

If it is a meteorite, it's valuable.

Doesn't look 'glassy' enough, you're right. It looks like there has been some sort of ventifacting, but it is difficult to tell without looking at the hand specimen.

Now: take a magnifying glass and look at the rock through it.

Are there pits?

Is it a smooth groundmass? Are there crystals (angular) or grains (rounded)?

Does it scratch a steel knife, or does the knife scratch it? Can it scratch a window?

Of course, these are basic observations, but could help get us on the right track.

Originally posted by TedHodgson
Im quite sure its this stuff gwydir.demon.co.uk... , thats what it looks like when its polished of course

Yes i agree. It does look like that in a way.

Originally posted by denaliland
I need to see higher resolution images, but it doesn't look like obsidian to me.

I work with rocks all day and I can spot obsidian when I see it.

If it's heavy, it may be a meteorite. Is it magnetic?

If it is a meteorite, it's valuable.

As a METEORITE DEALER I can say without a second thought it is NOT a meteorite..;.

Wish i could take better pics, but at the moment all i have is my phone. The main thing weird about this rock to me is the fact of how heavy it is for how small it is. And whoever asked, yes it does have pits all over it. Reminds me of pores.

reply to post by SKinLaB


For real dude?





No, not for real dudeskee...the sarcasm was missed apparently, and that was a jab at skeptics, not you.





And once again...u2u Armap if the other members don't come up with a possible answer.

reply to post by aorAki

After having another and longer look at the pics I have to agree with you and denanliand. I retract my suggestion that it might be obsidian.

OP, besides scratch tests or streak tests, it's also helpful to get an idea of its thermal conductivity. Does it feel cool to the touch? Items that feel cool have a higher thermal conductivity than those that don't. (To give a fairly extreme example, a lump of iron lying out in the cold feels cooler than a lump of wood, because of its higher thermal conductivity.)

And yes, as another member asked, please test it with a magnet. A fridge magnet would do. If it's attracted by a magnet then you might have something rather interesting.

Mike

reply to post by SKinLaB


otherwise known as lignite.
en.wikipedia.org...

its an odd one really, its like a mineral compressed coal that forms solid in some places. Ive seen stones like that in Whitby, England known as Whitby jet, unfortunately its not easy to find a picture of a stone that hasnt allready been made into jewllery

reply to post by TedHodgson


visualsunlimited.photoshelter.com...

like that, but worn, the stone youve got could have come from a beach maybe.

...it looks like Blackstone to me!
I have some, as I work with jewelry, can take pictures if you like, have Onyx and Black Agate also!