I have a piece of the rock

I have been lurking here for a year or so trying to get enough posts to write my own. Finally got it!
I have found that there are all kinds of experts on this site and I really need some expert advice
Nearly twenty years ago we helped a friend clean out his father's home. Under a pine tree I found a large pile of black rock and my friend said take it.
I put it around my flower bed and forgot it for quite awhile. Then one day I dropped on one of the rocks. It was bright silver inside!
I took it to a rock shop and three gentlemen gave me three answers-pig iron-coal slag and "I haven't a clue." Off to another rock shop. He didn't know but said his partner had bought some like it and moved to Florida!!
Sent a chip to the Meteorite Man and not a meteorite. Ask a geologist and he said it was hematite.

Took it to a college and he wanted a piece to analyze gave him one and when I called he no longer worked there, no forwarding address.
Sent it to Dillon Gage and they lost the sample but kept my money.
Took it to a mining museum and I will write out the letter in part because she is no longer there.
" Steel gray on the fresh face, tarnishes to dull black. Hardness of>3-

How can we know when we dont have a pic?

can we see a picture of it? sounds awesome

Call your local mining department and ask for someone that can direct you to a list of assay laboratories. They won't be able to give you just one as it would mean an endorsement.

Once you have that, get an "icp-30", Gold, radioactivity & Rare Earth tests done.
Make sure to only send a sample the size of your fist or less than half the size of the specimen you've got. Also, name it something obscure ie "tra-126a-4" or something that doesn't indicate origin or anything related to it.

For a full suite of tests it would range from $25 to $150 per sample. It's best to get the works done.

I am a stupid newby!!!! I am trying to get the @#$%^ Pictures. Thanks. I got the thumbnails but the where to I go?

Some of you might read this...
Pics or it didn't happen

to the OP - use this link to upload your photos

reply to post by copperhead12

I am a stupid newby!!!! I am trying to get the @#$%^ Pictures. Thanks. I got the thumbnails but the where to I go?

don't panic, to find an answer on ats it is handy to use the search-botton from your top ribbon.

this site might help you too
www.abovetopsecret.com...

very interesting stones though, full of mystery. hope your search to that answer will be successful also.

i would ask the stones themselves. then really listen to the answer.
it could even be that you find some answer to the stones in the journey you take to find out about them.
this world of ours is a multi-level place with more meanings than hit that particular eye which is preoccupied with science


looking through that site i linked you to i noticed that ATS IT have not updated their site to the new system. sorry!

They sound like the same sort of stones that we used to bring home from the rivers in Arkansas. it was dull black outside, but shattered fairly easily and were shiny silver inside. They broke apart really easily when wet. We never knew exactly what they were, but always brought several hunks home because they are beautiful!!

I hope you find out what they are, we always just called it hematite because that was as close an answer as we could come up with. I'll have to go out and dig in the flowerbeds and see if I can unearth a piece. We always added our rocks to the beds and over the years they get lost in the dirt and overgrown by the flowers!

I want to belive. Show picture!

There is a stone similar to the one you describe, it's called Magnetite, somewhat magnetic, black on the outside, when polished is nice and silver-ish, break it open it's sort of like silver pyrite, you can google magnetite but you will usually see some pyrite looking formed stuff, the magnetite I found tons of in a dried up stream looks more like this 'meteor-wrong':

magnetite

You should take it to an expert geologist.

ETA: sounds like you did all that already, hmmm I'm stumped.

ALS

reply to post by Razimus


Hey, that led me to a site that has a pic that looks a lot like what we have found! Thanks! Maybe the OP can visit this site and identify their rocks, too!

Pic:

Link:Meteorite identify site

We never found any as large as that, tho.

I don't know. After studying up on basalt for a few minutes, I think I am wrong. This is def not what we found, either. Sorry! Wish I could be of more help.

Does it look anything like this?



ALS

Maybe OP is afraid if he posts a picture, ATS may disappear without any fowarding IP address

It does sound like magnite, and has naturaly formed silver pyrite, now if you could just find a way to process the silver pyrite out, can make some very nice jewelry.

Originally posted by jennybee35
reply to post by Razimus

 

Hey, that led me to a site that has a pic that looks a lot like what we have found! Thanks! Maybe the OP can visit this site and identify their rocks, too!

Pic:

Link:Meteorite identify site

We never found any as large as that, tho.

I have found those too. Graphite?

reply to post by Sorgmodig


You know, I never thought of graphite! Ima go and check that out!!

The Mineralology Database may help you, If you can deal with the search terms.

Looks like a picture of it is in his sig , right click and click view image to see it.