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Identity HelpJust a bunch I'm not sure about...

5th Dec 2014 00:52 UTCDennis N.

Ok, first I'd like to say "hello, I'm new here!" :)

Second, please don't mind the images quality, this is what happens when you have to resize to accommodate a forum :(

I'm from Eastern part of Canada. Before you say "no rare minerals are found there", just last week they found ruby in Nova Scotia, Canada.

So anything's possible...

So we have:

A(this is a tough one! Garnet,Ruby or quartz of sorts?)

B. I have no clue o.o

C. Agate ??? Which wouldn't be common around here at all! (found on my beach with a few more pieces)

29th Mar 2015 22:35 UTCRonnie Van Dommelen 🌟 Manager

Dennis,

Welcome to Mindat. I just read your post or would have replied earlier.

There are lots of rare minerals in eastern Canada. I know of several rare ones found even in recent years, things far rarer than rubies (although admittedly with less public appeal). As for the rubies, they were actually identified over 10 years ago by David Mossman.

Now on to your photos. Sight-identifying things from rounded pebbles is very challenging. Well formed crystals make things far easier. Also, exact localties help too. Then the local geology is known and that can help narrow down a list of expected minerals. For your first one, the luster makes me think it is quartz. It does not look like the Frenchvale rubies or any garnet. Check the hardness - that will be a useful piece of information. For specimen B I also have no idea. The brown might again be quartz. The dark stringers could be epidote or some silicate mineral, or something totally different. The last photo is too blurry for me to say for sure, but it looks a bit like chalcedony. Again, check the hardness.

29th Mar 2015 23:01 UTCHolger Hartmaier 🌟

My guesses:

a.) Photo is not clear, but looks like quartz. Not ruby or garnet. The reddish hue may be due to iron oxide inclusions or staining.

b.) Tectonic breccia. Looks like broken up quartzite or cherty material.

c.) Looks like fine drusy quartz with agate or chalcedony. Check hardness.

30th Mar 2015 03:22 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

I agree with Holger in his analysis.

I'm thinking B might be some sort of serpentinised rock.

30th Mar 2015 16:32 UTCEd Clopton 🌟 Expert

I agree also. I'm not familiar with the local corundum/ruby, but I would not rule out corundum for Photo A--it could be a crude crystal. Check its hardness and (if large enough) its density. Photo B looks very much like brown chert.

30th Mar 2015 17:39 UTCSusan Robinson

The second specimen (B), is not brecciated, but those are veins of the interior mineral going through it, in my opinion.

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