What is it?
13th Dec 2016 18:36 UTCScott DeLano
I was wading through a creek this past Fall looking for pyrite clusters in black shale in northeast Oklahoma. I cam across some exposed black shale and there appeared to be a layer of something else sandwiched in between two layers of the shale. It almost appeared to have "oozed" out from between the two layers. I noticed some larger lumps in it, so I tapped around them to see if they were pyrite clusters. Turned out they were, but the material they were in was VERY hard (the "ooze" layer")...much harder than the black shale that sandwiched it. I broke off a large piece of the material and cleaned it up. To the naked eye, it appears to have a black matte finish in places but I can also see what appears to be black crystal faces in other spots. The material came out of the rock in a layer form, yet the cleavage seems to be running top-to-bottom, the thickness of the layer. Running down the middle of the layer is a thin layer of pyrite "dust". Sprinkled all over the material is pyrite "dust". Again the material is very hard and streaks a dark gray color. I have enclosed some pictures. I apologize for the quality. If you would like to see a different shot, just ask.
So...any ideas on what this layer of material is??? I don't think it is black shale. Anthracite coal maybe?
