Please help identify this rock

[jp9301]

I found this on my parents farm in Tennessee years ago. We've always wondered what it was. Does anyone know?

 

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[hvacker]

No, jp9301, you are tasked with help of ID of rock. It's worth the effort. Find out how to make a scratch test, a hardness test, a weight test comparison.
If I sound testy, it's because no one wants to do the work that we here do always. Every day without any formation except a usually blurry picture. You also need to to bit in bit of work.

So before you take exception to my testyness, study your rock and do a bit of testing. Tell us what you've learned and see if someone here can help.
Some of these people work hard on ID's with little information other than a blurry picture.
The good news is if you work with this rock, you will learn a bundle. Then there is the next rock.

 

[jp9301]

Yea, I see your point! I've done some minor searching on the net with no luck except for finding this site. I just figured someone could look at it and say that's .......

 

[IAMZIM]

You must understand, new minerals are found almost every day on the earth. All you have to do is watch Mindat (a website) and see what gets discovered every week... even an expert can be baffled! So, in best practice, a scratch test, hardness test, and at times a specific gravity test is needed, which, because you have the rock, you are really the only one who can do, or have done (possibly at a university or a rock shop), these tests. Once you have the info from these things, it will definitely help someone I D your stone, as just looking at it, most of us are unable to tell right off the bat what it is. Hope this helps?

 

[jp9301]

Now I'm more curious than ever! Thanks for the responses

 

[Eu_citzen]

Indeed, with over 4,200 minerals known to man, just looking at a picture and saying "that's.." is at best a qualified guess.

Now, that rock to me has a "sedimentary" look to it.

So here's the tests you should do:
1. Hardness test - Will a knife scratch it? - Will Quartz scratch it? (check under magnification!)
2. Acid test - Will vinegar bubble and fizzle if you put a drop on there? (Rinse in water after the test!)