Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Geology, Palaeontology & Archaeology => Topic started by: Qgent on 02/12/2016 22:54:03

Title: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: Qgent on 02/12/2016 22:54:03

Can you ID this mineral/ quartz  from this picture? we have search and ask many people and still have not found the name

Title: Re: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: chiralSPO on 03/12/2016 19:03:58

That's a beautiful color! It looks somewhat like cinnabar to me. Is it very heavy? Do you know what the density is, or hardness, or where it is from etc.?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinnabar

Title: Re: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: Qgent on 03/12/2016 20:18:55

The colors may be similar but cinnabar looks grainier while this one the surface is very smooth like glass. It was given to my wife and all she knows it was collected from the mountain. is heavy for its size

Title: Re: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: chiralSPO on 04/12/2016 03:32:52

Which mountain? Or which region?

Is it soft enough to scratch with a copper coin? If yes, then cinnabar is possible--not all of it is grainy (an image search online will reveal photos of very large single crystals and clusters of large crystals that look similar to the photo you provided, so I wouldn't rule it out just based on sight (though this is also hard for me to judge from only the photo)

If the sample appears more glassy than crystalline (and if it doesn't get scratched by a copper coin) it might be a red form of obsidian... It could also potentially be red jasper, but I don't think the color or shape looks right...

Without more info it is hard to give a good answer.

Title: Re: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: Bass on 06/12/2016 04:52:30

I agree with chiralSPO, but the obvious conchoidal fracture makes this some sort of cryptocrystalline quartz (jasper) or glass. beautiful red color, though.

Title: Re: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: Atomic-S on 08/12/2016 03:36:59

I have seen multiple specimens of cullet (reclaimed glass) that have the general shape, and also obsidian, but the color is not consistent with any obsidian I have seen. It would not be impossible for glass, however. As to how it got into the mountain if it is manmade glass, well, who knows? Maybe the glass fairy dropped it there one night.

Title: Re: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: Qgent on 17/12/2016 00:30:30

Well I tried to smooth some of the edges with a belt sander and it was sparking like I was sanding glass. about the shape this piece was twice as big, my wife shared it with some co-workers.

Title: Re: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: Evereligh on 13/03/2017 20:57:42

It could be Vanadinita  ;)

Title: Re: Can you ID this mineral from this picture?
Post by: Kryptid on 14/03/2017 14:46:38

You could perform some tests. What kind of materials of known hardness can it be scratched by? What can it not be scratched by?. Does it leave behind a colored streak if you mark it on paper?