mystery rock

[kellygirl29]

I live in southeast Tennessee. While looking for arrowheads in a nearby creek one day that is being excuvated to restore its beauty, I found the weirdest rock about 50 ft from the creek in some plowed up ground. It is my mystery matrix rock because no one is quiet sure what it is, or how it was formed. It is a clear rock or glass that has a tear shaped chamber inside that has purple tinted liquid and a gas bubble and metal flecks that is sealed inside of it. On a scratch test to see if it were glass or quartz, I scratched the matrix on the glass and it did scratch it, but with a little force. There are no glass manufactures in my area nor has there been. There were active volcanoes in my area millions of years ago, but ive heard if it were silica, it would of had to of been pure in order for it to be so clear. My rock has pits in it caused from extreme heat. I also live in a valley. At some point in time my area was hit by a huge astroid, meteorite, or comet. I took it to a geology proffessor today who is just as boggled as everyone else. If anyone has any theory as to how my mystery matrix was formed, please, let give me your opinion. <br /><br /><br /><br />

 

[kellygirl29]

another view of rock

 

[yevaud]

Already saw the pictures you posted of it, btw.<br /><br />It may be slag from a forest glass blower from hundreds of years ago. Contrary to what you said, these things would be set up ad-hoc almost anywhere.<br /><br />What I foud significant was the "purplish" liquid. Purple was extraordinarily popular as window glass tint, several hundred years ago. Glass makers were always playing around with ways to make it.<br /><br />Just a few thoughts. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[yevaud]

Pictures of industrial glass slag<br /><br />Long url here <br /><br />Look at some of the images, tell us what you think. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[kellygirl29]

I looked at the images of the glass slag and none of it looks anything like what i have.

 

[kellygirl29]

I would like everyone to go to this site and tell me what you think. www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/LPSC99/pdf/1222.pdf

 

[maxtheknife]

Hi Kellygirl,<br /><br />While I haven't the foggiest idea about your cool lookin' rock I do know that it has become commonplace to simply disregard and ignore just about everything Stevo has to say. <br /><br />Good luck identifiyin' that thing! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[jatslo]

I find lots of quartz when I gold mine, and that looks like quartz; quartz is often heavly pitted with varing degrees of brightness, and the fracture is not uncommon, because I crush them up often. However, that drip is unusual, and adds value to the quartz. There is a geologic process of trapping gas and minerals, and this is the case.<br /><br />This is not glass, because glass does not scratch glass.

 

[jatslo]

This gem is valuable; worth hundreds!

 

[thermionic]

That's quartz? With those bubbles and round chips? Are you sure? Next, you'll be telling us that gravity can be blocked with electrified high-pressure vacuum! I have to side with Steve on this one, definitely dylithium crystals from an ancient UFO crash. Cheers!

 

[maxtheknife]

I noticed you failed to include geometry in your list, Steve.<br /><br />Have you handed in your geometry homework yet? No? <br /><br />By all means, keep talking then.

 

[jatslo]

If I had access to this specimen, I could levitate it in my artificial gravity machine to expand its mass without the aid of an microscope to prove once and for all that this quartz is, in fact, QUARTZ, and that stevehw33 don't know a pit from a hole in the ground. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

[kellygirl29]

So far i like what thermionic and jatslo are saying. I think you guys are closer than anyone so far. Keep em coming.

 

[jatslo]

Look on ebay; lots of precious minerals for sale, and yours is worth a pretty penny. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[formulaterp]

<font color="yellow">Look on ebay; lots of precious minerals for sale, and yours is worth a pretty penny.</font><br /><br />Especially if it turns out to be dilithium.<br /><br />http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Dilithium

 

[kellygirl29]

Please dont horse laugh me when i say " Isnt dilithium a crystal that is only real on Star Wars"? Or is there really a crystal called that.

 

[thermionic]

<br />Star Trek, not Star Wars. I'm peace loving, and all those wars make me nervous.<br /><br />In any case, please don't think I know what I'm talking about, but I'd thought one doesn't find smooth curves in quartz, due to its crystaline nature. And I don't think the scratch-test rules out glass. There are glasses of varous harndess, right? Surely there are some chemical tess that can answer your question directly. Cheers!

 

[astrophoto]

Isnt di-lithium kinda like not only being famous, but being in-famous? Hehehehe.<br /><br />Dilithium is a made up mineral used on Star Trek I think to power their warp drives. Lithium obviously exists, so one could only guess that di-lithium is two atoms of lithium. Not sure how that translates into warp power, but I don't speak Klingon anyway...

 

[jatslo]

Black light will illuminate any florescence properties that are often characteristic of opals, in which we have a lot of in Oregon: Thunder Eggs, Sun Stones, etc.

 

[neutron_star69]

that rock looks like it is an agate. agates are rocks that appear clear and you can see through them. I have a good collection of them.

 

[JonClarke]

First of all kellygirl, welcome to the forum! That is one mazing lump of... soemthing that you have.<br /><br />The fracture and hardness are all consistent with a lump of waste glass. The clearness suggests that it is artifical.<br /><br />The large fluid inclusion is very unusual in natural glassesd and crystals, although not unknown. If it is artifical it might be the result of a failed glass blowing attempt.<br /><br />I don't know what the solid inclusions are. Contamination from a drop of molten glass falling on the ground?<br /><br />I have no idea what the purple liquid is! Presumably water, but what gives it a pruple colour I don't know. Have you tried freezing it?<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[jatslo]

Is that a fluid? The fracture is characterisitic of separation between minerals, if there is, in fact, two minerals involved. Thunder Eggs have all types of funky shapes and colors.

 

[kellygirl29]

Im not going to freeze it. Im afraid if I do it will mess it up.

 

[eepie]

quoted from stevehw33<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>yep, it's glass. the only natural minerals giving that kind of breakage pattern are flint and obsidian, both glassy materials, but not with this level of transparency. Quartz can be clear, but does not fracture in this way.<br /><br />It's human made glass. <p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />i would have to agree with this, and anyone else who mentioned glass and glass blowing.<br /><br />kellygirl, are you *sure* there is liquid in there? the purple tint to me looks actually like a smoke inclusion inside the air bubble. of course there could be both in there, smoke and droplets of water.<br /><br />and regarding your link to the article on fluid inclusions in martian meteorites -- you should note that the sizes of those samples of meteorites are measured in MICRONS - way smaller than what you have there. <br /><br />

 

[kellygirl29]

Oh yes , It is definitely purple liquid, that whole purple area you see is liquid. The air bubble moves back and forth like a leveler would. I just dont see it being from a glass blower. If youll notice on the picture where I have the metal flecks circled, One of the flecks has barely punctured the tear drop chamber. Suprisingly, none of the liquid has seaped out yet. The liquid is milky and purple tinted. And why was it in plowed up ground? I didnt find it in the stream.