crazy rock

419GottaMinute

Sr. Member
Jul 1, 2012
407
183
colfax, ca
Detector(s) used
Garrett gtax 400
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
Found this rock just north of Foresthill, CA. I think it looks like this rock has a bone stock in it, but trays crazy, cuz rocks ain't got no bones... But any info on this specimen would be real nifty!
 

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Looks like schist-like something. Another pic with some more distance to it and in natural light would help.

Does the "bone" like thing bubble and fizzle in acid? Looks like it might be calcite.
A saturated solution (containing water) of citric acid should to for the test, vinegar will also work.
I prefer using organic acids, not all to hazardous.

The metallic looking part is interesting, if rubbed against an unglazed piece of porcelain, what colour do you get?
 

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Don't have any unglazed porcelain laying around... I have more than one piece, and am currently soaking a smaller piece in vinegar,the white part doesn't bubble, but the "shell" material bubbles like soda. I will try to post a better pic...
 

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So I was wrong...the outside material and the white inner material don't seem very reactive, the boundry layer between the bubbles like mad, though. Here is the smaller piece after soaking for 5 or 6 hours in vinegar. Never seen rocks like this anywhere, but found a bunch of pieces where I found thus one.
 

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Can you scratch the white part with a knife? Finger nail?

Looks like you have something within the white-ish stuff.
If it was my speccie I'd probably dissolve the rest to. Just to see what hides inside.

If yes to the first and no to the second I'd be leaning even more towards calcite.

The brownish stuff looks like it might be garnet. See the last pic, in the contact between the white and blackish material.
It would probably strengthen the idea that your rock is an altered (metamorphic) rock.
 

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