Help with Rock Identification Please

[Jerseymilker]

Hi there,

We are in Canadian in Alberta.

We have found 2 rocks from two different gravel pits. And we are unsure of what we have found. They are not quartz and at first glance we thought they were Amber. But after tests especially the float test, they both fail. The July rock briefly held a charge once but only once.

The bottom 2 rock pictures are the same rock. It was found today July 2, 18, near Petrified wood and a small coal seam. The pit where it was found was very deep and it was found close to the water level. The top two pictures are of the same rock, it was found in May of 2018. The July rock and the May rock were found in two different gravel pits about 10 mins from each other.

View attachment July 2-3.jpg

Both rocks heat up when rubbed. But both are to heavy for Amber. My rock hunting buddy says they are not quartz. So what then could they be?

 

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[Bajahunter]

When I was a kid our float test was dad throwing all the rocks we had collected on vacation in a river or pond. Anything that floated we could keep.
Have you tried a scratch test or a streak test? Those would be much more helpful than the very relative information of heavy or lite. Never heard of heating being a rock Id test.
Opal?

 

[Jerseymilker]

We tried scratching and they don't scratch. And the one we just found does not leave any streaks.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Why do you say it's too heavy? Hold a straight pin or needle in a pair if pliers, and heat it up very hot, then touch it to the material. You may see some smoke, and smell pitch. If so it's amber. If not, probably chalcedony.

 

[Jerseymilker]

I have Amber and the Amber is light when I pick it up. So I based the weight of it compared to my Amber. We just weighted the one we found today, 10 grams. Is there anyway for sure to tell if it's chalcedony? We tried the needle and it didn't do anything.

 

[Jerseymilker]

I just went online and I think you have tagged it. Chalcedony. It seems to fit the description from what I read.

Thank you everyone.

 

[Bajahunter]

What did you try to scratch them with?
If it is chalcedony then it would be called carnelian becaus

 

[Bajahunter]

Sorry hit send by accident
....because of its color and translucence. Also make nice stone for je

 

[Bajahunter]

Ok this message format really sucks. To easy to hit send.
.....good for jewelry.
Also possibly honey opal. Just a little softer than carnelian. Silicon dioxide with a little water in the mix.

 

[IAMZIM]

You guys are just a little bit north of me, that looks like a type of agate I pick up quite frequently here in Montana. How close are you to our border? A lot of native points have been made of this material. Chalcedony, like Kray Gelder said, is a form of agate. That is my guess, and I'll say I'm pretty confident on it as I encounter a lot of it! Also, when I look at your pics, I think I can see fortification lines just like the one I have pictured here from my collection.

 

[Bajahunter]

No, agate is a form of chalcedony.
I s

 

[Bajahunter]

I see no sign of banding.
https://www.minerals.net/mineral/chalcedony.aspx