MontanaLon 0 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Found this while prospecting in a river. It caught in the hopper of my highbanker. When I went to grab it I noticed the veining in it. When I picked it up I noticed it was really heavy. I stuck it in my pocket for later investigation.What I know for certain: it is non-magnetic. It has a black streak. It is soft enough to cut with a steel jigsaw blade. The veining goes completely throughout the piece. You can actually see it where it comes out on the side in the last picture. Looks like little specks. The veining is like wire and can be pulled away from the rest of it without breaking.What I think but can't confirm. It is metallic but not iron even though it looks to have rusted.What I have been told it might be so far and have eliminated as possibilities.Petrified wood. It has no structure to it to suggest wood, no rings, no fiber structure.Limonite. Wrong streak color.Goethite. Wrong streak color.Pyrite. No crystalline structure.Also was told it may be hematite with an intrusion but an intrusion of what?Any ideas? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bucket 238 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Well ya got me Lon, the first thing that came to mind by looking at the second photo was petrified wood, it looks grainy and exactly like a piece of wood. Whatever it is...its cool looking. How big is it? By the way, welcome to the best forum in town. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MontanaLon 0 Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 It is about 1-1/2" long 1-1/4" wide amd 3/4" high. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfinger 43 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 Lon, my impression is magnetite since it gives a black streak and you specimen does show signs of rust so it looks to be an iron mineral. But the "veining like wire" has me stumped so I'm not 100% sure exactly what you have....When I first saw the photo, it looked like petrified wood but it will never streak unless it's replaced by a uranium mineral.Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pesky 0 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 The bottom pic looks like a deer horn Quote Link to post Share on other sites
homefire 2,581 Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 What ever it is it looks like gold has tried to grow on the seems.Slice a end off and see what's going on inside. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MontanaLon 0 Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 I started slicing off an end to see what was going on inside and got the distinct aroma of drain cleaner (sulfuric acid). So I started looking at metal sulfides and came up with Acanthite which is silver sulfide. Cannot find a picture which looks exactly like it but there are pictures with native silver in the specimen.It is unusual in the way it cuts. The surface is relatively soft and cuts like graphite down to being just black powder. The inside of it is too hard to cut with a metal blade and just polishes the cut surface. The fresh cut looks very metallic.Now I wonder what it is worth. :twocents: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pesky 0 Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 If you wanted to get the silver out of it how would you doit Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saginaw72 19 Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Crazy thought, but is it possible that this is the result of a hollow or mold left in some material by deteriorated wood and then filled with whatever this stone is made of? It seems since the stone is soft, it sounds sedimentary. Just an idea.saginaw Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MontanaLon 0 Posted August 5, 2012 Author Share Posted August 5, 2012 If you wanted to get the silver out of it how would you doitGood question, I have no idea. Crazy thought, but is it possible that this is the result of a hollow or mold left in some material by deteriorated wood and then filled with whatever this stone is made of? It seems since the stone is soft, it sounds sedimentary. Just an idea.saginawI suppose anything is possible. If that is the case I hope it was a big branch and the rest of it is in the same gravel bar. Chances of that are slim given the glaciated nature of the area I am in. One thing is for certain, I know it didn't form here. Like everything else of value in Illinois it got dragged here against its will by a glacier.My theory is that it was part of a vein of silver up in Ontario that was gouged out and ground down by ice. The rest of it is out there but it is hidden in a pile of glacial moraine 50 miles long, 5 miles wide and up to several hundred feet deep. I probably won't ever find it but it won't be for a lack of looking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mth308 0 Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 what does it weigh?? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
El Dorado 964 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I am thinking it may be opalized petrified(almost) wood Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rimshot 181 Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Looks like chard wood to me (1st pic). Wish we could see the ends of it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MontanaLon 0 Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 OK here are the ends.You can see where I attempted to cut an end off, first with a hack saw then with a dremel tool. Got sidetracked with the baby keeping me busy. You can actually see the ends of the "wires" sticking out of the cut, and out of the end of the rock, just little silver spots.The other end.Still think it is petrified wood? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rimshot 181 Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 From the ends it looks more like a rock. Wonder why it has a sulfuric odor when you try to cut it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MontanaLon 0 Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Finally cut off the end to see what was going on inside and this is what I found. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Goldfinger 43 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I'd say it's a suphide of some type... Just not sure which one.Steve Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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