Learning Center What is a mineral?The most common minerals on earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles The Elements The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Geologic Time

Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Localities Near Me Search Articles Search Glossary More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Mining Companies Statistics Users Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events The Mindat Directory Device Settings The Mineral Quiz

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Color New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

╳Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

Groups

Recent Images in Discussions

Identity HelpDoes anyone know what I have found?

2nd Aug 2019 06:47 UTCTeresa Carrao

2nd Aug 2019 06:48 UTCTeresa Carrao

Could this be mutton fat jade?

2nd Aug 2019 06:49 UTCTeresa Carrao

This specimen is from the Fraser River in British Columbia in the Fraser Canyon.. It is about 5-600 lbs. it has a hardness scale from about 6-6.5. The dots on the rock are green. I will do an acid test today

2nd Aug 2019 11:49 UTCEd Clopton 🌟 Expert

Theresa,

Welcome to Mindat!

More information is needed before anyone can make a reasonable stab at identifying your specimen. See this post: https://www.mindat.org/mesg-11-33466.html. We don't expect everyone to be able to check all the boxes, but it gives an idea of the sort of info that is helpful toward making an identification. The more info, the better. An important starting point is where it was found, if known.

2nd Aug 2019 13:09 UTCFrank K. Mazdab 🌟 Manager

both photos, which look identical, could benefit from being in way better focus. Best not to hold the rock in your hand... place it on a steady surface. And if the sample is a slab, getting the surface wet before photographing it might help bring out some of the textures better, especially if all those sort of distracting scratches are saw marks.

That being said, the blobby crystals (pinkish? bluish? grayish?) look a bit like corundum (some even look like crude hexagons), and if so, the white material surrounding them could be something akin to diaspore or sericite or maybe a feldspar. Whatever that white material is, it looks like either an alteration rim or maybe the reaction envelope that separated the blobby crystals from the brownish or greenish matrix. The whole rock reminds me a bit of a low quality "anyolite", or that Indian "ruby in cordierite(?)" lapidary material that appeared a couple of years ago. Another possibility for the blobby crystals is that they might be garnets, as a couple of them look like they have an atoll texture, which I've never seen in corundum. There may be other possibilities too, again, because the photo isn't too clear, and as Ed indicates, with no additional information from any tests you've done of the sample, or even at least knowing where it's from, one can only guess that, "it looks a bit like __________".

One quick easy test is just checking if any of the white or brownish/greenish material reacts (fizzes) with a few drops of dilute acid (vinegar or HCl)... at the very least, this will offer clues to what the bulk composition of the rock could be (or not be). Trying to scratch the various separate components (the blobby crystals, the white rims, and the brownish matrix) with needle or a sharp point of quartz might be helpful too. Finally, if you have a long-wave or short-wave UV light, checking if the sample is fluorescent possibly could provide some useful information. Tests like density won't be helpful here because the sample is a mixture of minerals.

EDIT: ah, green blobs... my color-blindness shows through...

2nd Aug 2019 14:28 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

Welcome to Mindat, Teresa!

Being this is from a large river canyon, it could be many things, washed down from who knows where. Jade is but one possibility, and Frank's suggestions are good ones.

2nd Aug 2019 14:37 UTCPeter Nancarrow 🌟 Expert

My first impression of the blue hexagonal crystals in the OP's photos was that they could be fluorapatite, but as Ed and Frank pointed out, without any information regarding locality at the very least, preferably together with some indication of the diagnostic physical properties of the minerals, most id. suggestions are going to be no better than guesses.

BTW, it's certainly not anyolite, which is a chromium-rich rock which is predominantly green in colour. (The name comes from the Maasai word for the colour green - "anyole"). Its major mineral is bright green chromian zoisite, with varying lesser amounts of black tschermakite and Cr-rich red corundum (var. ruby).

(See photo of Anyolite)

Pete N.

2nd Aug 2019 18:36 UTCTeresa Carrao

Is there somewhere I can bring a sample to for identification? I am in BC (lower mainland)

2nd Aug 2019 19:02 UTCFrank K. Mazdab 🌟 Manager

Hi Pete,

Just to clarify, my suggestion that the rock reminded me of a low-grade anyolite did not come from a lack of understanding of what anyolite is, but rather because I'm colorblind and to me the photo looks like pinkish blobs within a composite white and very pale green matrix. Cleary, the "white" is the only one of those three colors I might have recognized correctly.

Which actually got me to thinking. In general, it would be helpful for posters to include written descriptions of their samples in their "what is this rock" inquiries, including seemingly "obvious" properties like color and habit that they might omit because they assume these are apparent from their photo(s), because colorblindness (or poor lighting or white balance) and/or odd camera orientations that hide crystal shapes, can sometimes mask those otherwise seemingly "obvious" properties. Since few ID tests can be done on a photo, the more observations provided and not assumed is recognizable, the better.

2nd Aug 2019 19:41 UTCHolger Hartmaier 🌟

Hi Teresa,

Zooming in on your picture, I noticed that the matrix is composed of angular fragments resembling glass shards. This is typical of a volcanic pyroclastic rock, perhaps formed by steam explosions when lava is quickly chilled by water. The blue-green mineral definitely exhibits some type of reaction or alteration rim, but I can't venture any guesses on an I.D. yet. The rock appears very distinctive and I'm sure someone with local knowledge would recognize it and provide more information.

Cheers,

Holger

3rd Aug 2019 00:37 UTCMatt Neuzil Expert

I'm looking at this from my phone so I'm not sure about this surface, it seems flat but I feel like I see lines going across from top left to bottom right. Whatever this is, could those be slickenlines or I'm seeing things?

3rd Aug 2019 01:52 UTCRoger Ericksen 🌟

The lines look like saw cuts.

3rd Aug 2019 05:26 UTCTeresa Carrao

Saw cuts

3rd Aug 2019 05:27 UTCTeresa Carrao

We made book ends...

3rd Aug 2019 05:30 UTCTeresa Carrao

So I tested with vinegar and no bubbling occurred. The teal green dots have glisten in them.

3rd Aug 2019 05:32 UTCTeresa Carrao

I am getting some feedback that mutton fat jade is quite possible... does anyone know where I can physically take it in the Vancouver/Fraser Valleyarea to be identifies?

3rd Aug 2019 06:11 UTCKevin Conroy Manager

Is there a university with a geology department nearby?

3rd Aug 2019 06:25 UTCTeresa Carrao

Great idea, my daughter goes back to UBC for her final year of her Masters in Physiology so I am hoping she can direct me to the right people

3rd Aug 2019 09:54 UTCFrank K. Mazdab 🌟 Manager

An acquaintance/colleague of mine is a ore deposits researcher at UBC, in the Earth, Oceans, and Atmospheric Sciences Dept. His name is Robert Lee. It's been a while since we've caught up, so I actually don't recall anymore how much of a mineral collector he was, but he's a bright guy and experienced field geologist, and ought to be able to help you with your rock. But if not, he can certainly direct to the department's mineralogist.

3rd Aug 2019 11:22 UTCCecil Cosse

The hexagonal-like xls are distinctly blue on my computer screen, not green.

Cecil

3rd Aug 2019 11:29 UTCWayne Corwin

Teresa

Do you, or anyone you know have a shortwave blacklight to test out the spots?

3rd Aug 2019 16:10 UTCKeith Wood

Beryl in deformed archaean pegmatite? Sometimes beryl has original rims of feldspar, so those might not be reaction rims.

Alternatively the glittery appearance of the blue objects in the dry area of the rock looks like some micaceous mineral replacing an earlier phase. Not sure what bluish mica there would be, or what it would be replacing. Just remarking on the appearance. Could be incipient mica development within blue beryl.

4th Aug 2019 00:32 UTCMark James de Bruijn

Here is hopefully a clearer picture. Everyone from the local area, Fraser Canyon BC Canada agrees the name given is Mutton Fat Jade. Some opinions online is it is sillimanite with kyanite inclusion. I'm not sure if the colors for the blue/green inclusions show up properly, as my monitor is an old tv.

Apparently the name given to it in this region of British Columbia Canada Fraser river area is either Mutton Fat Jade, or White Jade.

Can anyone clarify please?

4th Aug 2019 06:26 UTCJolyon Ralph Founder

Hi. Note that you've now posting from a commercial lapidary supply account. Unfortunately this means we're not able to help any further as we do not give free identification advice for commercial sellers.

Mindat.org is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: April 23, 2024 07:06:38

Go to top of page