chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 11, 2024 19:50:50 GMT -5
I always like throwing out these odd things I find, even if nobody has an answer. Here is a rock that I found about 75 feet from our house on the very edge of a farm field in northwest Missouri. I wasn't sure what it was before I cut the end of it today. Sure looks like obsidian to me based on the backlit photo. It is about 6 x 4 x 2 inches and doesn't show any conchoidal fracturing on the surface. The edge of the end cut feels pretty sharp. So how did it get here? A quick search of the internet only mentions artifacts for this area and north of here in Minnesota and central Canada (where glaciers would have brought stuff from). No volcanoes in Missouri. I don't think it is an artifact because there was no evidence of it having been worked on the surface. I am having a hard time believing that anyone in the past would have let go of it without it being worked although I suppose it could have been smoothed by being in farm field for a long time. I am guessing the glaciers brought it from somewhere. I have found 3 or 4 smaller pieces (thumbnail to an inch or so) that I think are obsidian (one black with part clear and 2 or 3 brownish ones) on our property. The next question is what to do with it. Slab it for cabachons? Any other ideas? I might try to make some small crosses and polish them in the tumbler (they might look nice when backlit). From all the comments on the forum, it sounds like tumbling can be difficult but if I slab and cab it, there will be little pieces that go in the tumbler anyway. Thanks for reading and looking, Chris
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khara
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Post by khara on Mar 12, 2024 2:04:44 GMT -5
It is kind of an odd looking thing. That backlit photo is interesting. Ya, maybe try a cab?? I’d be interested to see what it looks like polished.
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Post by MsAli on Mar 12, 2024 7:52:43 GMT -5
How heavy is it? Did you do a streak test? Does it have bubbles?
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Mar 12, 2024 11:00:54 GMT -5
I say it's not obsidian... Nice slab though, you going to cab it?
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realrockhound
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Post by realrockhound on Mar 12, 2024 11:03:10 GMT -5
I don’t think that’s obsidian. Almost looks like the remains of a burned Indian. Why would I assume that? This old lady I know, I was helping her move some stuff, after I was done, she was showing me some rocks etc.. she hands me a piece almost similar to that. Dark, dense, waxy appearance. Says you guess what that is? I’m like no clue. She tells me it’s the burned remains of a Native American. Goes into this story about how she obtained it, etc.. I don’t remember the details, but from what I do remember. Back when white man was fighting the natives, they piled the body’s up and burned them. It was like her great grandfather or someone found the spot and took a piece. I wanted to drop that thing and have nothing to do with it. In fear I was gonna get possessed 😂
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chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 12, 2024 13:34:38 GMT -5
It is kind of an odd looking thing. That backlit photo is interesting. Ya, maybe try a cab?? I’d be interested to see what it looks like polished. Will try a cab and maybe a cross that I run through the tumbler. How heavy is it? Did you do a streak test? Does it have bubbles? Will check on these and reply later today. I say it's not obsidian... Nice slab though, you going to cab it? I think I will slab it and try a cab to see how it does. I don’t think that’s obsidian. Almost looks like the remains of a burned Indian. Why would I assume that? This old lady I know, I was helping her move some stuff, after I was done, she was showing me some rocks etc.. she hands me a piece almost similar to that. Dark, dense, waxy appearance. Says you guess what that is? I’m like no clue. She tells me it’s the burned remains of a Native American. Goes into this story about how she obtained it, etc.. I don’t remember the details, but from what I do remember. Back when white man was fighting the natives, they piled the body’s up and burned them. It was like her great grandfather or someone found the spot and took a piece. I wanted to drop that thing and have nothing to do with it. In fear I was gonna get possessed 😂 Great, now I am going to have nightmares, or hauntings, or be cursed for the rest of my life. All I did was pick up a cool looking rock. Reminds me of a spare tire cover I saw on a Jeep today. It had a nice picture of mountains and trees. It said "Get outdoors, worse case, you get killed by a bear".
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realrockhound
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Post by realrockhound on Mar 12, 2024 13:59:55 GMT -5
Now.. I’m not saying that’s what it is. Just looks identical to that piece she handed to me lol. From what she had told me, it’s essentially the fats and everything like that, that had melted off and then cooled 😂
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Post by MsAli on Mar 12, 2024 14:15:25 GMT -5
I don’t think that’s obsidian. Almost looks like the remains of a burned Indian. Why would I assume that? This old lady I know, I was helping her move some stuff, after I was done, she was showing me some rocks etc.. she hands me a piece almost similar to that. Dark, dense, waxy appearance. Says you guess what that is? I’m like no clue. She tells me it’s the burned remains of a Native American. Goes into this story about how she obtained it, etc.. I don’t remember the details, but from what I do remember. Back when white man was fighting the natives, they piled the body’s up and burned them. It was like her great grandfather or someone found the spot and took a piece. I wanted to drop that thing and have nothing to do with it. In fear I was gonna get possessed 😂 That's interesting because the 1st thing I thought was it's coal, which Missouri has. Then the back lit thingy threw me, so I'm thinking it's slag. Which is why I asked chris1956 those questions also, the Missouri college has a great geology department and has articles available to read which will help ID rocks in your area.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on Mar 12, 2024 15:08:34 GMT -5
I'm thinking it's some kind of slag. I've hounded a lot of obsidian and it doesn't look quite like any of the obsidian I've found in most western states. Have you done a streak test on it?
If it is obsidian it would be a safe bet it was imported by ancient people to your location. However, most material like that would have been reduced to cores or blanks that would have been more worth the effort to carry hundreds of miles.
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chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 12, 2024 16:15:58 GMT -5
Now.. I’m not saying that’s what it is. Just looks identical to that piece she handed to me lol. From what she had told me, it’s essentially the fats and everything like that, that had melted off and then cooled 😂 May the tarantulas be with you tonight.
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chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 12, 2024 16:19:02 GMT -5
I'm thinking it's some kind of slag. I've hounded a lot of obsidian and it doesn't look quite like any of the obsidian I've found in most western states. Have you done a streak test on it? If it is obsidian it would be a safe bet it was imported by ancient people to your location. However, most material like that would have been reduced to cores or blanks that would have been more worth the effort to carry hundreds of miles. I don't have an official streak plate. Can you just use any type of unglazed ceramic? Might have some of that around somewhere.
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chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 12, 2024 18:01:04 GMT -5
I will try to give the information everyone asked for in this reply. Think I have it covered as best I can at the moment. I did want to point out that I noticed the ends (when you look at the end piece I cut) are slightly different than the middle section. The ends are a little grayer than the very black section in the middle. Also it looks very different when broke as shown in the photos. The gray section looks grainy while the back section is more quartzy. Hardness. Knife blade and nail didn't touch it. Took a masonry drill bit to make a scratch. So somewhere in the 6.5 to 8.5 range. Density. I don't have a good measuring beaker and may try the overflow method later but I am approximating it is somewhere between 2.3 and 2.7. Streak Test. Don't konw if this works but I took a dark saw sharpening stone and the streak was white. Bublles. I took my loupe and don't see any bubbles on the cut portion. I broke the end piece into 3 pieces. When you juggle them together, they have the classic glass sound (although it is a pretty thin section). The next photo shows the grayish portion on the right. It seemed to be the same hardness as the blacker area. Same angle as above backlit. Notice that the clear areas in the grayish area are cloudy compared to the black area. Broken edge through the gray area. Broken edges throug the blacker area. No conchoidal fracture but more like quartz? Streak on sharpening stone. So I don't think it is coal or jet because of hardness and density. As for slag, I am six miles from the nearest town of 2,000 people and in the middle of farmland although who know what could have happened in the past. No bubbles like I have seen in most slag and I haven't really seen other rocks like this in the area. Doesn't look like obsidian from the fractures and hardness. Any thoughts about black quartz? Based on the hardness and density, I think I am safe from old souls visiting me tonight. Thanks for all the ideas and questions. Chris
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chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 12, 2024 18:13:18 GMT -5
I should have mentioned one other possibility. Black jasper. I do find what I think is black jasper around here. The pieces I have found are all small (inch or so size) and I haven't seen the clear stuff in them. I sometimes see whit layers in the black jasper.
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RWA3006
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Post by RWA3006 on Mar 12, 2024 19:30:21 GMT -5
I'm thinking it's some kind of slag. I've hounded a lot of obsidian and it doesn't look quite like any of the obsidian I've found in most western states. Have you done a streak test on it? If it is obsidian it would be a safe bet it was imported by ancient people to your location. However, most material like that would have been reduced to cores or blanks that would have been more worth the effort to carry hundreds of miles. I don't have an official streak plate. Can you just use any type of unglazed ceramic? Might have some of that around somewhere. The back of a ceramic tile will usually work fine. The unglazed part.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 12, 2024 20:28:38 GMT -5
I don't have an official streak plate. Can you just use any type of unglazed ceramic? Might have some of that around somewhere. The back of a ceramic tile will usually work fine. The unglazed part. Heck, even the unglazed inside bottom of your toilet tank cover works if you don't have a tile lying around.
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Post by Son Of Beach on Mar 12, 2024 20:33:18 GMT -5
The back of a ceramic tile will usually work fine. The unglazed part. Heck, even the unglazed inside bottom of your toilet tank cover works if you don't have a tile lying around. One of the first useful things I learned on this site lol
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chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 13, 2024 16:21:26 GMT -5
The back of a ceramic tile will usually work fine. The unglazed part. Heck, even the unglazed inside bottom of your toilet tank cover works if you don't have a tile lying around. I ran the toilet tank cover streak test and it was white. Also tried to be more accurate on the density test today and came up with 2.9. I will try a cab in the next week or two and should have more material to get a more accurate volume and run the density again. Thanks for everyone chiming in on this.
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realrockhound
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Post by realrockhound on Mar 13, 2024 17:43:36 GMT -5
You’re cabbing a dead native. You’re going to inhale the particles and become possessed 😂
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chris1956
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Post by chris1956 on Mar 13, 2024 20:11:05 GMT -5
You’re cabbing a dead native. You’re going to inhale the particles and become possessed 😂 Good thing I wear a respiratory. I might change my oil though.
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Post by MsAli on Mar 13, 2024 20:23:49 GMT -5
Basalt?
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