mystery rock

[jatslo]

I misinterpreted your initial statement; therefore, I retract quartz, and cry glass.

 

[eepie]

<br />kellygirl, it might be interesting to find someone in your local area who is a mineral/rock collector, even amatuer, as they might be able to tell you more about it just by looking and handling it in person. or perhaps a local university??? <br /><br />just don't let it out of your sight! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <br /><br />even though i still hold to the glass theory, it would be very interesting to find out what this really is.<br /><br />

 

[kellygirl29]

Remember, I did take it to a University. To a geologist Proffessor. He did A scratch test. He scratched my rock on glass. It did scratch the glass but with a little pressure. He was as just as boggled as we all are.

 

[silylene old]

Hello Kelly, and welcome to this forum too.<br /><br />I am happy to see you did get that scratch test run.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><em><font color="#0000ff">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</font></em> </div><div class="Discussion_UserSignature" align="center"><font color="#0000ff"><em>I really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function.</em></font> </div> </div>

 

[astrophoto]

Glass can scratch glass. You need a new University if a geologist professor is boggled by a hunk of glass.

 

[dgm1]

Being in a Tennessee farm field for who-knows-how-long it has probably already been subjected to freezing at some point in it's history. I doubt it will hurt it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[eepie]

astrophoto: <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /><br />

 

[mlorrey]

I would say you ought to have some of that fluid extracted and tested, both for chemical content and isotope spread. Given it is clear, have you had any visual spectrum analysis done of light passing through the fluid?

 

[kellygirl29]

I would love to have it tested but dont know who to contact or where to go. I live in a small town that just has a community college. I took it to a University in the next city but they didnt know what it was either.

 

[JonClarke]

Hi kellygirl<br /><br />As someone else said, it has probably been frozen already when it was in the ground. I assume you have frost in your area (I know next to nothing about Tennessee so if this a ready stupid question my apologies!).<br /><br />Freezing is a standard way to measure the composition of a trapped liquid in glasses and minerals. If it does not freeze at home freezer temperatures then the liquid is probably quite unusual in composition, and probably not artificial.<br /><br />I would take it back to your geological friend and have ihim run scratch tests against a range of other materials, to try and narrow it's hardless down. You can try your self. Can it be scratched with a stainless steel knife, for example? Or with a copper coin?<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>

 

[kellygirl29]

It has a crack in it. Do you think If I freeze it it will bust ? On the hardness of it, Its kinda soft. It has a plastic feel to, it but its not because it WILL NOT MELT. If I scratch it hard with my fingernail, it leaves a suface scratch that rubs out. And, its not cold like glass. Wierd

 

[kellygirl29]

And too, Look back at the picture with the metal flecks circled. Now, look at the biggest one I have circled. If youll notice, the tip of the fleck is lodged into the tear shaped chamber. Im afraid if ii freeze it, it will crack it more.

 

[dgm1]

Soft how? Soft material does not exhibit conchoidal cleaving when struck like those evident on your specimen. <br /> Glass, natural or otherwise does. So does cryptocrystal quartz materials like flint or chert. Some other quartz structures will as well.<br /> I still suggest you take a trip into Nashville or Atlanta and have it examined at a Natural History museum. Or you could check with a reputable rock collector. THey are everywhere. <br />If you really want to find out what it is it will not be difficult. If you would rather hold onto the exotic possibilities just keep it on your shelf and continue to speculate. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[kellygirl29]

The only way I can explain soft is it feels plasticy, BUT ITS NOT.

 

[yevaud]

<i>On the hardness of it, Its kinda soft. It has a plastic feel to, it but its not because it WILL NOT MELT. If I scratch it hard with my fingernail, it leaves a suface scratch that rubs out. And, its not cold like glass. Wierd </i><br /><br />Yet another factor that leads me to believe it might be a tailing, slag from a primitive glass blower (how primitive being up in the air). A high lead content made it much easier to smelt and form glass, back when, and it makes the glass (including the slag) very ductile. Similar to what you're describing. <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 just dont see it being from a glass blower. If that were so, how did the metal flecks in it? If its glass, which it doesnt feel like, but, if it is, I would lean more toward a furnace instead of a glass blower. I appreciate all of your opinions so just because i disagree doesnt mean Im closed minded.

 

[yevaud]

Oh no, not at all. I'm enjoying the give and take.<br /><br />Old glass can have impurities in it - big ones, in fact. That's why I was speculating about it being the answer. It looks like fused glass...it has the correct sort of shear planes as glass...old glass can have impurities in it - even like the gold flecks you point out. As well, the ductility you mention sounds like high lead-content glass. It sounds reasonably malleable, as such.<br /><br />I could be dead-wrong, but I've done a lot of antiquing, and seen old sites where glass was once blown as well. That's why I say what I do. It looks like old slag I've seen (sorry I couldn't find an appropriate pix on the 'Net. The Internet is what it is). <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 have a the same post running in 2 threads right now, just in case users dont go to all of the threads. Now that I have seen this thread I want to make sure I get everyone. Instead of running it on another thread, I was hoping you guys could go to space and astronomy. I have a post about a mystery rock or weird rock. I think its from space. Please take a look at it and let your theorys roll. If you want to reply,please do it there so I dont miss it. Thanx

 

[kellygirl29]

Heres a picture if anyone is interested. It has purplish liquid and gas bubble and metal flecks in it.

 

[JonClarke]

Hi Kellygirl. "Plasticy feel" despite its hardness is an interesting way to describe it, it would tend point away fronm glass or a mineral like quartz, which feel quite different. Amber would feel this way, but this is not amber, obviously. Some relatively soft materials can show conchoidal fracture, amber and some plastics for example.<br /><br />I suspect the powder left when you try to scratch with your nail is bits of nail.<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>

 

[kellygirl29]

It doesnt leave a powder mark. Maybe I should re-word. If I scratch it hard with my fingernail, it leaves a mark that rubs off.Kinda like if you were to scratch your car with a fingernail or with something plastic sometimes you can rub it out with your finger. That kind of scratch. Does that make sense? I dont have artificial nails or paint on them either. The only other way I know how to describe how it feels is if you had a rock and it was made of wax+glass+plastic. Heavy like glass, hard like glass but with a plastic feel. I held a torch flame to the corner and it didnt even phase it.

 

[seawana1]

Why not go to your local library to do some research or visit a school/university and ask a specialist who can actually handle and take a close look at the item?<br /><br />(It looks like glass or posibly quartz to me, but I'm not a trained geologist.)

 

[mlorrey]

the mark that rubs off is made from little bits of your nail, like the mark of a pencil on paper.

 

[kellygirl29]

oh.......lol

 

[najab]

It's not necessary to start the same thread on different boards.