identify help please

Both of these I collected around an old iron mine in the Blue Ridge Mountains, VA. the picture " unknown looks like Kayanite to me. The pic "unknown -2" has these metallic looking crystals scattered about it. i have several pieces of them, but have no idea what they are. They are not heavy, but resemble a black tourmaline with the luster of Sphalerite. any ideas??

Conrad

Hi Conrad,

The first (unknown) I think looks like an amphibole, posssibly actinolite, but for a sure identification advanced analyses is needed. The second (unknown-2) looks like rutile.

Peter

I agree with Peter on both.

Thank you for the feedback. I want to clean the iron off the first one you think is actinote. Do you know what i should use? I dont want to ruin the specimen.

I usually use HCl first, rinse thoroughly in water, then follow it with Super iron out. I find the HCl helps to remove iron stained crusts like calcite and the super iron out gets the iron staining that HCl doesn't.

super iron out...nice. i will try that.

if you would, take a look at this crystal. it was collected by my grandfather and passed down to me. i never knew him, but i had his box of rocks when i was a kid and they were all treasures to me. i always thought that this was a calcite, but it does not look like any calcite that i see. the formation looks as if it was created in a hot environment. i am not a geologist so i really have no idea. i have been wondering about this specimen my entire life.let me know what you think and thank you again for helping.

Looks like calcite to me but somewhat dissolved, possibly by ground water.

Water erosion makes sense. thank you again for your help