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Identify A Rock

Villano

First Post
My grandfather used to work in a coal mine in Pennsylvania. One day, he found this large, football-sized green crystal. I've looked online at many pictures, but none look just like it. Are there any amatuer geologists (or, heck, professional ones) out there who can help me identify it?

I'm hoping for "giant emerald" or "kryptonite". :)
 

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Dannyalcatraz

Schmoderator
Staff member
Supporter
Shore is purdy!

Could be a lot of things- including something new or a new form of something old- so IDing it from a photo would be tough. Things like hardness, refraction and the shape of the crystals would need to be known for a proper ID.

Its color reminds me of some raw aquamarine crystals I've owned in the past, but zircon, flourite, apatite, tourmaline and many other translucent minerals can have that color. Of those, I believe only zircon is commonly associated with coal, but Mother Nature is tricksy, and likes to change the rules we think we know. For instance, fluorite is commonly found with feldspar...and feldspar is commonly found in coal. An uncommon unity could occur, perhaps- I know of all kinds of deposits of minersls that people didn't know existed, and the current world supply Could fit in the volume of a softball.

Then there are minerals like smithsonite which have that kind of color, but don't usually have that kind of translucence. But again, this could just be an example of something unusually pure.

Considering you're in Virginia, you should be able to find a local mineral club or a college geology department that can figure out what it is pretty easily.
 
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jonesy

A Wicked Kendragon
Oh, well, I meant, like when it's cut, it's like, but how you get it so you can, like use it, and not just, for like, sell. But, brainspill. Dude.
 

Cor Azer

First Post
Can't help you directly, but [MENTION=183]Acmite[/MENTION] on these boards is a geologist. Not sure if he checks in here regularly anymore. You might find him as Medival Monkey on Circvs Maximvs
 





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