What Causes These Multiple Colors

[Cariboo5]

Went for a good hike up the creek and came to this spot where erosion took part of the steep bank and left some good sized boulders in and around the creek.

The first picture has the rock with colors circled just at the base of the boulder..
Second picture taken with the rock wet to shows the different colors...


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[curious kat]

Sure looks pretty there Cariboo....did you have a magnate with you to test for iron? The colors look like Jasper colors...can't tell if it's shiny or not....what did you think?

 

[DDancer]

Lots of things can cause coloration of rocks. Red, brown and black often are iron minerals and sulfides. Greens are associated with copper and some manganese usually a sulfide as well. Purples also result from mixes of iron and various other minerals~ its hard to say. The bit your showing looks to have a high silicate complement and is probably pretty close to being a jasper type material. Something like that you might want to keep an eye out for on the hill side as it can be an indicator for an ore body. A thought.

 

[Cariboo5]

Sure looks pretty there Cariboo....did you have a magnate with you to test for iron? The colors look like Jasper colors...can't tell if it's shiny or not....what did you think?

Thanks CK......Funny thing, to lighten the pack for the hike I took out the case that has my gold vials, snuffer bottle and natural earth magnet...When dry it does not appear shiny however I left it on the boulder and will pick it up next hike in and try the magnet.... Attached are a couple of scenery pictures from the days trip that shows some of the terrain.......

For those that don't know we have a lot of bears in our area and for safety a defender is always carried....thankfully I have not had to use it so far...Also Nugget has a cow bell for extra noise..


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[Cariboo5]

Lots of things can cause coloration of rocks. Red, brown and black often are iron minerals and sulfides. Greens are associated with copper and some manganese usually a sulfide as well. Purples also result from mixes of iron and various other minerals~ its hard to say. The bit your showing looks to have a high silicate complement and is probably pretty close to being a jasper type material. Something like that you might want to keep an eye out for on the hill side as it can be an indicator for an ore body. A thought.

And a great thought at that DDancer....There seems to be a fair bit of iron oxidation in the area, quartz with iron and iron pyrites specks. I will be doing several digs to see what else there may be. Attached is a picture of the quartz and another of what I think is green schist...All good indicators.....Thanks again for your comments....


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[Bajahunter]

Your Nugget looks like a Lab cross.
Can he track gold?
What is the name of the alien?

 

[Cariboo5]

Your Nugget looks like a Lab cross.
Can he track gold?
What is the name of the alien?

Nugget is a lab - collie cross and I wish she could track gold but keeping minerals in the play " She's A Gem"

Great Eye Bajahunter...........His name is Vultar..

 

[old digger]

I would agree with DDancer, the different colorations are subsequent to the different minerals that may be present in the rock.

 

[curious kat]

More pretty pictures, thanks for posting them Cariboo. I guess you have some of the really big bears there? Be careful...but Nugget & Vultar appear to be really good "look-outs"!

 

[rock]

The first rock is a mixture of schist and ironore and cooper. The other 2 are different types of quartz. The 1st one will most likely flake with a knife after it dries out. Are you in GA?

 

[Cariboo5]

The first rock is a mixture of schist and ironore and cooper. The other 2 are different types of quartz. The 1st one will most likely flake with a knife after it dries out. Are you in GA?

Thanks Rock..........I am in Canada