Geology Science

[Kitten]

It's a river rock, almost certainly. I agree with Soapy Sam's comments. In order to identify this rock, you really need to break it open to examine a fresh, unweathered surface. A chisel and a sledgehammer should work just fine.

Mostly likely, it's a weathered, rounded piece of granite or quartzite or something.

As for the greenish color, it could be from alteration. Maybe a mineral such as epidote, but I'd have to see the rock to tell for sure.

 

[Fnord]

I'll take a WAG...

Some type of talc or alabaster with tourmaline inclusions ... or not.

Could you provide the following information?

1) Color -- Greyish with greenish streaks and speckles, right?
2) Streak -- Does it leave a line when dragged across a ceramic tile?
3) Hardness -- What can scratch it?
4) Volume -- How much water does it displace?
5) Weight -- How much does it weigh?

-Fnord-


(LOL ... "Leaverite")

 

[canadarocks]

When I saw your rock, I remembered seeing a rock in the geology lab labelled a "ventifact" that are polished by wind-blown sand in a desert setting. If the rock is made of something hard (like quartz), then the ventifact gets a cool luster on the surface. Just a WAG, though, from another geologist...

 

[Zep]

The greenish colour could be from lichen and moss growing on it, leaching into the surface micro-fractures. An alternative could be some copper-based mineral.

 

[DevilsAdvocate]

This is really interesting to me in a way. When I was in junior high school, we had a science class where we spent an entire semester on identifying rocks. It got a bit boring after a while and some kids complained and asked the teachers why they would ever need to know any of this stuff. The teachers had no good reasons and just said it was what they were supposed to teach. I told my parents about this. I think my mom went to the principal (and probably the school board) and complained about what the teachers had said.

Of course I understood that we weren’t really learning about rocks—we were learning the scientific method. That happened a lot. Even the teachers didn’t get that what we were studying was unimportant—the important thing was learning to study. I imagine it is even worse today.

Anyway, the questions about displacement, hardness, scratching, and so on brought back pleasant memories. Despite my lengthy training in rock identification, I cannot identify your rock (or probably any rock). However, I know the process that would be needed.

Carrion.

 

[Pro7]

This is really interesting to me in a way. When I was in junior high school, we had a science class where we spent an entire semester on identifying rocks. It got a bit boring after a while and some kids complained and asked the teachers why they would ever need to know any of this stuff. The teachers had no good reasons and just said it was what they were supposed to teach. I told my parents about this. I think my mom went to the principal (and probably the school board) and complained about what the teachers had said.

Of course I understood that we weren’t really learning about rocks—we were learning the scientific method. That happened a lot. Even the teachers didn’t get that what we were studying was unimportant—the important thing was learning to study. I imagine it is even worse today.

Anyway, the questions about displacement, hardness, scratching, and so on brought back pleasant memories. Despite my lengthy training in rock identification, I cannot identify your rock (or probably any rock). However, I know the process that would be needed.

Carrion.

Exactly ..

The guy at the utah natural museum of history is a geologist and other things too, he too would know exactly what it is but he couldnt properly identify it when he had the rock in his hands. Even other people he showed it to, said the same. They all said unusual properties because of they felt it with their hands. Usually when you feel a smooth rock, its just a smooth rock.. however this rock, when you rub hand over it, it gives out a tingling feeling in the hand.

I will make pictures of it etc, to make it more clear, and Im thinking of using a chiesel to hammer that oblong hole on its bottom... hmm

 

[Pro7]

The greenish colour could be from lichen and moss growing on it, leaching into the surface micro-fractures. An alternative could be some copper-based mineral.

One side of it shows a indented space on it and you can see that in the picture.. when exposed to sunlight that particular area is green as emerald green color, and its apparent whatever is inside is completely colored green... because of that specific area. And when it is also exposed to sunlight, the entire rock turns green and when its out of the sunlight, it turns back to those colors you see in those pictures. I dont want to sound like SCI-FI but this is what it does..

What rock can do that? On the website with photos, I did leave out some important details regarding this rock because I felt that If I did include some details that sounds so far fetched to scientific minds, I would be labeled a crackpot. heh

Points of scientific perception:

1. Rock turns green when exposed to sunlight.
2. Cleaning it with water on the surface makes it turn milky white as if it's "peeling its skin".. particles would just form on the surface and fall off like flakes.
3. Unusual tingling feelings when rubbing hands on it....
4. Electrical fields such as TV or a bad electrical storm outside, the rock emits a low level humming noise and it does low level vibrates when its sitting there on a wooded shelf. Vibrations has been seen and felt by me and others when I showed it to them.
5. There is other unusual issues regarding this rock, but Ill leave those details out of it.... considered it not important...

And the funny part is..

One time, I showed this to a person who claimed to be a psychic in utah.. it freaked her out so bad, she left the house so fast and never contacted me again. She said this is a "devil rock".. I dont believe that and never will believe it but she sure did put on a show.. her actions had to be authentic.. I have known this person for years .. she just refuse to talk to me anymore because of this. Im not kidding you or anyone in regards to this stone. You have my word that its all authentic and real.

I was told by my parents that it could be a unusual form of a crystallized geode that holds something inside. On the internet I did study about rocks having some strange stuff inside them, maybe this is one of them. Maybe until I crack it open.

IT has been snowing here.. Im trying to find a good place to crack this rock open outside but I dont think Ill find any since its just too darn cold outside. Living in a apartment with noisy neighbors probably wouldnt be a good idea to crack the rock inside the apartment?

I was also told by someone that this rock could be radioactive due to tingling feelings in the hands.... I dont think it is..

 

[canadarocks]

Check out this link. It shows some ventifacts that appear similar to the one you have. Let me know what you think...

http://www.pukeariki.com/en/stories/naturalworld/geologicalwonders.asp

Thanks

 

[geoman]

I agree with the guys & gals. It's probably a fluvially rounded boulder, dominantly quartz & feldspar. But I looked at the weight & sizes & the density looks wrong (which might explain the comment on your website about the guys in the museum being interested because of that). If I read your website right, and do my sums right,

size = 6" x 4" x 4" spheroid, which works out at about 8 X10^-4 cubic metres volume
mass = "about 17lb", which is about 8kg

so density = 10g/cc, which is VERY dense. Quartz & feldspar are both about 2.6-2.7g/cc. Pretty much nothing geological is that dense except first year undergrads on remedial catchup science courses.

Did I misread your website? Or have I got my sums wrong?

P.S. Do NOT "use that chisel to hammer that oblong hole on its bottom". You will probably break the chisel and/or yourself. Seriously.

 

[Slimething]

One time, I showed this to a person who claimed to be a psychic in utah.. it freaked her out so bad, she left the house so fast and never contacted me again. She said this is a "devil rock".. I dont believe that and never will believe it but she sure did put on a show.. her actions had to be authentic.. I have known this person for years .. she just refuse to talk to me anymore because of this.

What you have there is a jen-u-wine psychic repellant!!! How much you want?

I was also told by someone that this rock could be radioactive due to tingling feelings in the hands.... I dont think it is..

Ionizing radiation doesn't tingle. You would experience delayed burns and lesions but no tingling.

 

[fishbob]

I agree with the guys & gals. It's probably a fluvially rounded boulder, dominantly quartz & feldspar. But I looked at the weight & sizes & the density looks wrong (which might explain the comment on your website about the guys in the museum being interested because of that). If I read your website right, and do my sums right,

size = 6" x 4" x 4" spheroid, which works out at about 8 X10^-4 cubic metres volume
mass = "about 17lb", which is about 8kg

so density = 10g/cc, which is VERY dense. Quartz & feldspar are both about 2.6-2.7g/cc. Pretty much nothing geological is that dense except first year undergrads on remedial catchup science courses.

Did I misread your website? Or have I got my sums wrong?

P.S. Do NOT "use that chisel to hammer that oblong hole on its bottom". You will probably break the chisel and/or yourself. Seriously.

I would recommend setting the rock into a container of water and measuring the displacement as a much more accurate way to derive the volume, then density. If you go to that much trouble, then I also recommend weighing the rock with more accuracy than 'about'.

 

[RenaissanceBiker]

Could it be a geode??

That would explain low density.

 

[Pro7]

I agree with the guys & gals. It's probably a fluvially rounded boulder, dominantly quartz & feldspar. But I looked at the weight & sizes & the density looks wrong (which might explain the comment on your website about the guys in the museum being interested because of that). If I read your website right, and do my sums right,

size = 6" x 4" x 4" spheroid, which works out at about 8 X10^-4 cubic metres volume
mass = "about 17lb", which is about 8kg

so density = 10g/cc, which is VERY dense. Quartz & feldspar are both about 2.6-2.7g/cc. Pretty much nothing geological is that dense except first year undergrads on remedial catchup science courses.

Did I misread your website? Or have I got my sums wrong?

P.S. Do NOT "use that chisel to hammer that oblong hole on its bottom". You will probably break the chisel and/or yourself. Seriously.

you mean this rock could be so dense that nothing can crack it open?

or so dense that its in a form of different mineral not found on earth?

 

[geoman]

you mean this rock could be so dense that nothing can crack it open?

or so dense that its in a form of different mineral not found on earth?

No, I mean that if you hit any lump of moderately hard rock with a chisel you'll probably break the chisel, resulting in sharp pieces of metal flying everywhere.

As for the density: as fishbob suggested, why don't you actually go & measure/calculate it yourself rather than letting us rely on some photos where it's not even obvious what the scale is and a mass which is only approximate?

 

[fishbob]

you mean this rock could be so dense that nothing can crack it open?

or so dense that its in a form of different mineral not found on earth?

I have scars on my hand from sharp bits of flying rock. I have unpleasant memories of a lump on my head from the blunt end of a flying chisel.

Please, do not try to break your rock with a hammer and chisel.

 

[Pro7]

I have scars on my hand from sharp bits of flying rock. I have unpleasant memories of a lump on my head from the blunt end of a flying chisel.

Please, do not try to break your rock with a hammer and chisel.

I understand. Many thanks!

 

[Pro7]

No, I mean that if you hit any lump of moderately hard rock with a chisel you'll probably break the chisel, resulting in sharp pieces of metal flying everywhere.

As for the density: as fishbob suggested, why don't you actually go & measure/calculate it yourself rather than letting us rely on some photos where it's not even obvious what the scale is and a mass which is only approximate?

Thanks also!

 

[Grimoire]

Let's not go down this road again...

http://www.alienrockwherediditcomefrom.com/

That site is awesome! I love the photo galleries, where every picture is either fuzzy, over exposed, under exposed, or so low res as to be useless. To me, it just looks like a rock.

After more reading, he blames the fuzzy pictures on the rock producing non-ionizing radiation. I blame poor photography skills.

I also love the low res pictures of books and documents. Most are far too low to read anything other than the chapter headings. And of course, they are JPGs, which is the absolutely worst way to encode a B&W picture of a text document.

This guy is on par with TimeCube.

The last sentence of his conclusion:

LET THE PUBLIC DECIDE

 

[Pro7]

That site is awesome! I love the photo galleries, where every picture is either fuzzy, over exposed, under exposed, or so low res as to be useless. To me, it just looks like a rock.

After more reading, he blames the fuzzy pictures on the rock producing non-ionizing radiation. I blame poor photography skills.

I also love the low res pictures of books and documents. Most are far too low to read anything other than the chapter headings. And of course, they are JPGs, which is the absolutely worst way to encode a B&W picture of a text document.

This guy is on par with TimeCube.

The last sentence of his conclusion:

lol.. hahaha.. I did post in his forum about my rock and he did state that if I dont get my rock tested, then everything would be for naught as my claim would be nothing. That part, I agree because of so many things that people come up with every day.