stinky rocks

[rockyraccoon]

these are the stinky rocks before they went in the tumbler. anyone know what they are and why they are raising such a stink?





kim

[MichiganRocks]

Kim, did you try any vinegar on the blue grey rocks to see if it reacted. That or muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) can be diluted for the same test. Also curious if you tasted it. Is the texture very smooth as in an agate? My money is on the blue-grey rock. It looks very similar to some that I have here.

Ron

[rockyraccoon]

what would i be testing for and what kind of reaction would i be looking for? and why?

i did not taste it and i don't think i want to try that as i did go take a sniff after reading your post and it definitely is the culprit but on a lesser scale dry than in the wet sludge. it sure is looking good at 10 days. it feels like the jasper and those spots on it have a crystalized look when you turn it in the light. it has not blown up the tumbler yet.

kim

[MichiganRocks]

Hey Kim, my guess is Chert. This form under a fairly wide array of conditions and some of it can contain microsopic gas bubbles. A lot of the Chert (or Flint) that I find here produces a bad smell as well. The crystaline spots are another indicator of ground water contamination while it was forming. If the water has micro-algae in it, you will end up with a super tiny (that's a technical term) stink bomb. Open enough of these and it can really get your attention.

Ron

[rockyraccoon]

so have you ever tumbled/polished chert? it's looking nice in stage 1 but that doesn't mean it will polish does it ;D.

and here's my next question - assuming it polishes - if you put a nice bowl of these out does it stink the room up kinda like reverse potpourri or will the polish seal the smell in?

if you have some you've done i'd like to see!

kim

[rockyraccoon]

oh yeah - you never told me what i'd be testing for and IF (that's a big if too since i've watched the dog pee on the rocks outside and probably my husband too) i tasted one what would that tell me?

kim

[MichiganRocks]

Well, if you've already seen the dog pee on them, then there's no point in tasting them. ;D
Seriously, tasting is something that is usually not reccomended but can also provide helpful clues. For example, if a rock tastes bitter or sweet or salty (lots of different salts out there besides table salt) can tell you something. Another example is that if you pick up a rock and it tastes like garlic, you know right away that you shouldn't have tasted that rock. The garlic smell and taste in rocks is usually caused by arsenic.
Another hint if you clean the rock first, you can place it on your tongue try to slide it off. Your tongue can detect surface porosity that your fingers can't.
I don't have any right now, but I have some in the works. I'll post as soon as I get some finished. Chert is a chalcedony, the same as agate and jasper, and will polish the same as them, depending on the impurities and inclusions of course. Impurities and inclusions are a variable to any tumble, but especially so in rocks such as beach, river, glacial or general driveway gravel since they don't come from as pure a vein of rock as "mined" rock. I noticed that in some posts, people have had problems with rocks that have veins of different material in them. Treating them as the main mineral often results in less than terrific results. Sometimes modifying your aproach to something more suited to the material in the veins can yield better results (of course, sometimes it just leads to a bigger mess!), but you don't know till you try. Sorry to be so windy, I'll shut up now!

Ron

[rockyraccoon]

you have been so helpful ron - i looked in my book under chert and there is a picture that looks almost just like what this did before i hammered it. thanks!

kim

[rockyraccoon]

ron, so basically it's these little skeletons that are causing the stink?

seis.natsci.csulb.edu/bperry/Sedimentary%20Rocks%20Tour/sedimentary%20rocks%20images/biochemical%20sedimentary%20rocks/chert/sedplanktonskeletons1.jpg

kim

[MichiganRocks]

The problem is really the soft "flesh" that was on the tiny skeleten that decayed into gas. When you're finished polishing them, clean them in borax and there won't be any odor left to them.

Ron

[donwrob]

The stink stone Ron is talking about is most likely Onadoga chert found in the Great Lakes area, it is a petro-chemical rock and has a nasty odor. That is probably what you have too, not Onadoga, but something similar. All cherts I have polished turned out great Kim. Good luck, Don