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Post by fantastic5 on Jan 31, 2015 8:23:44 GMT -5
I took the impactite and other specimens that snowmom sent me to a geologist friend of mine in the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I also took him a piece from the large rock that jamesp has. He was very impressed with the specimens and slabs (I cut a few before going), but he doesn't think the x-ray diffraction will be of any help for the impactite specimens as they are made up of multiple minerals. He will be doing thin sections and using microscopy and polarization microscopy to determine the make up. We spent quite a bit of time looking at the slabs through the stereo microscope. Under magnification they are riddled with metal, but unfortunately with just a cursory exam, Wayne thinks it is all pyrite, rather than nickel. I gave him all that you sent labelled, but only took a few pictures as they were not all cut yet. Here are a few pictures of the slabs that he has. This first one as soon as he saw the bright yellow spot he asked me if I had a Geiger counter, to which I had to say no. He said he would check it as part of his analysis. Under microscopy he could see section that appeared to be actinolite. It also had a few absolutely clear quartz tear drops. They could not be seen with the naked eye, but really cool none the less. And yes, I tried to shoot a cell phone picture through the eye piece of the microscope, but to no avail. You will just have to take my word on it.   This one really interested him because of the 'pulled glass' look to lighter spots:  Now for the one that had them scratching their heads. It is the one that you labelled as @shotgunner 's guess at kimberlite. According to the geologists, you cannot get perfect spheres unless they form suspended in air as droplets. Also they couldn't think of anything that is both red and green. Under magnification these have red droplets with green rings, green with red rings, green and red swirled in one drop, black circles, green with black rings....well you get the idea. This is the one that they are hoping to separate the red and green spheres and put through the x-ray diffraction to see what the elemental composition is.   Have you found any more of these?  ? I will update again once I hear back from Wayne. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2015 12:37:44 GMT -5
Ann, I think the kimberlite piece is the one in the thread wtf breccia. Not the red spotted one. I have a cab from Tommy I will try to get high red images and macro stuff to share. |
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Post by fantastic5 on Jan 31, 2015 12:58:26 GMT -5
Ann, I think the kimberlite piece is the one in the thread wtf breccia. Not the red spotted one. I have a cab from Tommy I will try to get high red images and macro stuff to share. had sent me a big box of material with the impactite specimens neatly labeled in their own baggies. It is quite possible that I messed up her labels and that wasn't the one she put kimberlite on. |
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Post by snowmom on Jan 31, 2015 13:15:02 GMT -5
Ann, I think the kimberlite piece is the one in the thread wtf breccia. Not the red spotted one. I have a cab from Tommy I will try to get high red images and macro stuff to share. The red and green piece was in the thread "red and Green Mystery" and Shotgunner, you did suggest it might be Kimberlite because of the tiny crystals in it, enclosing a link to an article about kimberlite having been found somewhere with millions of tiny diamonds in it... I know you'll remember.
Having been reading up on Meteorites and Impact stuff, I now wonder in light of those colored spheres if they could be Chondrules? It might be something to run past Wayne. Looks real cool as a slab, even more interesting now.
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Post by snowmom on Jan 31, 2015 13:23:13 GMT -5
Those are fascinating. I have been like a kid at Christmas wanting to find out what was under the tree.
Thanks so much to you and Wayne for doing this, it just keeps getting more mysterious and exciting.
I have joined a meteorite interest forum, I think I will try to run that last photo past some of the
meteorite enthusiasts and see what their reaction is. Great to have the pictures, so glad you posted them!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2015 14:37:05 GMT -5
I googled the words diatreme facies kimberlite to further understand how they apply to the kimberlite. Diatreme is defined by google as and facies is defined by google as So a diatreme facies kimberlite is a specific kimberlite formed in a diatreme type of volcano. Nice we could be so precise..... lol This is the material I think (based upon images web-hounded by snowmom) is diatreme facies kimberlite. Which btw is an igneous rock not a metamorphic impactite.  This looks like a form of poppy jasper to me Perhaps Mel Sabre52 will have something to share in this regard. Ohhh... and those are not perfect spheres. Have a look closely and see moons and ovals too. and this is likely gabbro |
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Post by snowmom on Jan 31, 2015 15:22:19 GMT -5
Will be interesting to see what the geologists at the university say once they get a chance to look deeper.
loving the learning!
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Post by snowmom on Feb 1, 2015 5:05:36 GMT -5
well, the folks on the meteorite forum pointed out that the spheres in the last post seem to have rims, and chondrules don't have rims.. so we are probably looking at lapilli of some sort- and that would confirm volcanic or impact related material. Can't wait to learn more. can't seem to sit still, guess i'll go sort some rocks.
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Feb 1, 2015 5:06:06 GMT -5
Very interesting pieces of geology. Unlocking the mysteries of a giant meteorite impact. Need to saw and photograph more of these. More food for thought, from snowmom:  |
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Post by vegasjames on Feb 1, 2015 5:42:18 GMT -5
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Post by vegasjames on Feb 1, 2015 5:45:20 GMT -5
well, the folks on the meteorite forum pointed out that the spheres in the last post seem to have rims, and chondrules don't have rims.. so we are probably looking at lapilli of some sort- and that would confirm volcanic or impact related material. Can't wait to learn more. can't seem to sit still, guess i'll go sort some rocks. Actually chondrules can have rims. See some of the chondrules in my pics for example. Also see this: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11538105 |
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Post by snowmom on Feb 1, 2015 5:46:15 GMT -5
I love the breccias, We have countless different kinds here, what the lake produces amazes me over and over. that one sure is red. I have several of its sisters here. Could look at that for hours. Has that piece been polished? It looks glassy in the photo. The purpleish near the lower right is kind of surprising, but then I remember I also have a piece with what appears to be a chunk of some sort of purple crystal inset in it.  |
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Post by snowmom on Feb 1, 2015 5:49:24 GMT -5
vegasjames, thank you! I find the whole idea of chondrules, oolites, lapilli, and other spherical rock in all its forms very confusing.
Need all the input I can get!
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Post by fantastic5 on Feb 1, 2015 9:02:03 GMT -5
I love the breccias, We have countless different kinds here, what the lake produces amazes me over and over. that one sure is red. I have several of its sisters here. Could look at that for hours. Has that piece been polished? It looks glassy in the photo. The purpleish near the lower right is kind of surprising, but then I remember I also have a piece with what appears to be a chunk of some sort of purple crystal inset in it. None of the material in the pictures posted had been polished. They were cut either on my slab saw or trim saw (kerf marks on those)and photographed wet. I sure hope Wayne will be able to take pictures once he does his thin sections! |
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Post by snowmom on Feb 1, 2015 10:40:03 GMT -5
fantastic5,Ann, I hope he will take pictures too! I'm so excited to have the opportunity of Wayne's feedback! I can't begin to tell you how 'stoked' I am- but you can no doubt imagine! Thanks for making it happen and thanks to JamesP for his contribution as well.  |
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Fossilman
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 1, 2015 10:40:54 GMT -5
Very interesting rocks to say the least.................You should slab one of every rock that is there,put them om display,after you get proper ID's for them.............
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jamesp
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Post by jamesp on Feb 1, 2015 13:25:12 GMT -5
I am depressed and suicidal. The geologist mentioned pyrite, and I wanted nickel. Nickel is meteorological, pyrite is earthy.
Bursted my bubble badly. Darn. it sure has the color of pyrite.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 13:56:31 GMT -5
I am depressed and suicidal. The geologist mentioned pyrite, and I wanted nickel. Nickel is meteorological, pyrite is earthy. Bursted my bubble badly. Darn. it sure has the color of pyrite. I almost "liked" this post, but considered it in bad taste in light of your suicidal depression...  |
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Post by snowmom on Feb 1, 2015 17:01:50 GMT -5
well, that was just visual exam with a microscope, jamesp, before you do anything drastic lets wait for the rest of the tests. PS we do have lots and lots of pyrite in the area, so if it shows up in impactite, that would make sense too. It can still be impactite without iron/nickel.
Interesting Wayne made a comment about the bright yellow inclusion and radioactivity as well, suspects maybe tyuyamunite...? That was recently discovered in the UP, considered rare, but it is probably present other places as well.
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Post by snowmom on Feb 1, 2015 17:06:52 GMT -5
take comfort jamesp : according to this website many earthly minerals including pyrite are also found in meteorites, many (such as buckyball fullerenes- carbon) may have been brought here originally by meteorites, they just haven't proved that part yet www.minresco.com/meteor/minmet.htm |
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