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Identity Helpblack rock with gold fleck rings...

4th Mar 2011 22:19 UTCminnie

found this rock on the shore of lake superior....it is blackish with greyish nubs encircled by a ring of gold flecks....can anyone tell me what this is?

5th Mar 2011 02:21 UTCRonald John Gyllenhammer Expert

Hi Minnie,

The image is very poor. You should post an image that is well focused, with a better image an ID for this may be possible.

Ron

5th Mar 2011 02:39 UTCMatt Neuzil Expert

one tip is to set the piece down on a table or something. in general holding the specimen in hand is a poor way to take a photo and almost always will not be in focus.

5th Mar 2011 04:59 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

I agree Minnie; you will need a better photo that is more in focus and larger to see more details.

With that said, being that your specimen is from Lake Superior almost leads me to believe your "gold flecks" are one of the micas, more than likely phlogopite. As far as what rock it is in, we'll need a better photo for that....

5th Mar 2011 16:32 UTCminnie

well, thank you all for your input....i will make another attempt at photographing this rock i found.... hopefully a better picture will help someone identify this for me.....

26th Jun 2012 18:04 UTCanthony weatherbee

where there is black sand there is gold ! the black sand is oreite ! The gold settles in the oreite and when pressed the oreite becomes a rock . The oreite is not hard and will crack apart with a pair of pliers so you can get the gold out ! I gold pan in Oregon and find it all the time .

26th Jun 2012 18:50 UTCDon Saathoff Expert

Hello Anthony,

I am an assayer and I see plenty of black sand come into my lab....Some will have values but most does not. The ONLY reason black sand is ever associated wiith gold is that the darker minerals in any deposit are usually the denser minerals - much closer in density to gold than the lighter colored minerals (although there are exceptions). SO, IF there is any gold upstream then it MIGHT accumulate in the same conditions as the darker minerals and the black sand MIGHT be an indicator of gold BUT it CANNOT be said that where there is black sand there is gold!!

Also, "oreite" is neither a mineral nor rock - I've never heard the term before - anyone else? "Ore" is the term used to describe a substance which can be extracted, AT A PROFIT, from a mine - be it placer, quarry or underground operation. What you described as "oreite" sounds like a poorly consolidated conglomerate of darker mineral grains. If you're making a living from your placer claims then you must consider yourself a very lucky person!!!

Don S.

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