Can you identify these minerals?

  • Thread starter z.js
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    Minerals
In summary, the black stuff at the bottom of the photo doesn't seem to be a mineral. It might be tar or some other sedimentary material. The picture doesn't show much detail, so it's hard to tell for sure. The black rock at the bottom scratched a steel knife.

What is your favourite kind of mineral?

  • Sulphides

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Tellurides

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  • Arsenides

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  • Hydroxides

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  • Nitrates

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Sulfates

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Molybdates

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  • Phosphates

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  • Arsenates

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  • Total voters
    12
  • #1
z.js
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Can you help me identify this mineral and rock? I can't.
I think the mineral is quartz.
I tried the UV light, but it didn't work.
(Mebbe it's something precious!) :eek:
 

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  • #2
I doubt we can tell exactly from the picture.
What do you mean by "UV light ... didn't work"?
How did you employ the UV light?
What were you expecting?
What happened?

It looks like quartz or agate embedded in something igneous... but really just some white stuff in some grey stuff.

Have you shown it to a geologist? A local rockhound?
 
  • #3
I need more information.

At first glance, this slightly blurry photo suggests your rock is a piece of tar filled with fine gravel.

How hard is this sample? (Can you scratch it with a knife?, with your finger nail?, etc.)
How dense is it? Does it feel like it might be metal?
Does it respond to a magnet?
 
  • #4
black rock

z.js said:
Can you help me identify this mineral and rock? I can't.
I think the mineral is quartz.
I tried the UV light, but it didn't work.
(Mebbe it's something precious!) :eek:

Hi, I think at first sight the black rock can to be magmatic rock, very hard (isn't?). Quartz, right! And perahps a metal meet. At see later and good chance!
 
  • #5
It looks like tar and gravel to me.
 
  • #6
Simon Bridge said:
I doubt we can tell exactly from the picture.
What do you mean by "UV light ... didn't work"?
How did you employ the UV light?
What were you expecting?
What happened?

It looks like quartz or agate embedded in something igneous... but really just some white stuff in some grey stuff.

Have you shown it to a geologist? A local rockhound?

I expect the OP was checking for fluorescence and phosphorescence of certain minerals.
http://www.galleries.com/Fluorescent_Minerals

The picture looks like some nest cleaning aggomeration from some burrowing animal of years gone past. Difficult to tell from the fuzzy picture.
 
  • #7
I expect the OP was checking for fluorescence and phosphorescence of certain minerals.
Probably - still, nice not to have to guess and I like to encourage more scientific reporting in scientific sites ;)

he picture looks like some nest cleaning aggomeration from some burrowing animal of years gone past.
That hadn't occurred to me...

I think the bottom line is that there is not enough data.
Short answer: "no".
 
  • #8
I have a lot of information about rocks :approve:(whether they're minerals or not) because I have played with them :biggrin: and even swallowed a lot of them:yuck: when I was small.
At what place did you find it? A hillock? Roadside? Riverside?
 
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  • #9
It was found at a rocky beach which was also a fossil site. (Flat Rocks, Inverloch, Australia)
 
  • #10
Did you check for the three things prescribed by daqddyo1?
 
  • #11
After that heat a 'piece' of the 'bottom' part of the stone (bottom in the picture, a thick black layer) on your stove without allowing the flames to lick it. Does it melt?
 
  • #12
The black stuff at the bottom scratched metal. It has a density of about 2.8 g/cm3, and it is not attracted by a magnet. I will see if it melts when I heat it. How hot is a normal alcohol burner?
 
  • #13
z.js said:
How hot is a normal alcohol burner?
Hot enough to know if it makes a good rock or not!:biggrin: Anyway let's see if it melts.
 
  • #14
z.js said:
The black stuff at the bottom scratched metal. It has a density of about 2.8 g/cm3, and it is not attracted by a magnet. I will see if it melts when I heat it. How hot is a normal alcohol burner?

There are many metals - lead, tin, copper, iron, steel.
You need the hardness of the rock based on a scale to properly identify.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohs_scale_of_mineral_hardness
 
  • #15
please make a sharper shot? It can also be some other sedimentary matirx than tar and gravel
 
  • #16
256bits said:
There are many metals - lead, tin, copper, iron, steel.
You need the hardness of the rock based on a scale to properly identify.

The black stuff scratched a steel knife.
 
  • #17
z.js said:
The black stuff scratched a steel knife.

Then don't go to heat it.
 
  • #19
PhysicoRaj said:
Then don't go to heat it.

I did...:biggrin: The black stuff that the mineral was stuck in seems to be tar. The black rock at the bottom didn't.
 
  • #21
z.js said:
The black rock at the bottom didn't.

You mean it didn't melt? If it were really a mineral, but I don't think it is a mineral very precious. You can do the flame test in your alcohol burner. But that would not give interesting results.
You have a wide (very much) range to match with what you have got. But I don't go for metals.
 
  • #22
I was asking about the little things that looked like quartz, not the black stuff.
 
  • #24
One must be proud to have them inside!:biggrin:
 
  • #25
?
Is it inside? I thought it looked like quartz-the little white crystals. :confused: :uhh:
But yes, that picture does look nice! (how do you do it with a microscope I wonder?:rolleyes:)
 

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1. What is the purpose of identifying minerals?

The purpose of identifying minerals is to classify and categorize them based on their physical and chemical properties. This allows scientists to understand their origin, formation, and potential uses.

2. What are the methods used to identify minerals?

The methods used to identify minerals include visual observations, such as color and luster, as well as physical tests like hardness, streak, and density. Chemical tests, such as acid reactions, can also be used.

3. Can minerals have the same physical properties?

Yes, minerals can have the same physical properties, but they will have different chemical compositions. For example, quartz and diamond both have a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, but they have different chemical compositions.

4. How do scientists determine the chemical composition of a mineral?

Scientists use a variety of techniques, such as X-ray diffraction and spectroscopy, to determine the chemical composition of a mineral. These methods analyze the elements present in the mineral and their relative abundance.

5. Why is it important to correctly identify minerals?

Correctly identifying minerals is important because it allows scientists to understand their properties, potential uses, and geological significance. It also helps in the identification of valuable minerals and aids in the study of Earth's history and processes.

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