❓Your Mineral Identification Questions answered here

[22shells]

Yeah could be beryl. Would be nice to find some of that blue/green tourmaline :Y: That's big schorl too- biggest schorl crystals I've found are about an inch thick. Biggest terminated schorl end about 15mm. Have found a few smaller double terminated schorl crystals under 10mm.

 

[user 4386]

I do see what you mean but I still think they are garnet, will be interested to see what you get. Anyway I could be wrong, hopefully Goldierocks has a look at the pic for you. :Y:

Unsure but I agree that the crystal shape doesn.t look like garnet. Corundum will scratch anything except diamond. I reckon corundum is a good bet if cross-sections hexagonal. https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/4386/1525489269_corundum.jpg

Here's an example of some garnet that looks quite similar to the stuff that 22shells has found with the hexagonal crystal structure. To me his stones look more garnet that corundum but hey it's possible that it is corundum, I've just never seen corundum like it before and I've seen alot of it.

https://roughrockshop.co.uk/almandine-garnet-rough-for-tumbling

Thanks for the replies. :Y: Heatho the garnets in that link does look like similar material, but they have the garnet shape. Whereas the stuff I found is more elongated. You're probably used to seeing proper corundum from NSW or QLD! This stuff is from SA, whatever it is. I'll keep trying to see if I can find some better bits. In the meantime here's another pic:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3817/1525602918_p5061020.jpg

Definitely not garnet - crystal system hexagonal not cubic. Corundum highly likely.

 

[Schultzy33]

Hey guys, I dug this from the alluvial gravels at chapel hill in South Australia. I have been told its rhyolite and it has never been found here at this spot and its found in qld so Im curious how it got here. What type of Rhyolite would it be I know there at lots of different types like rain forest Rhyolite ect. Any info and input would be fantastic. Cheers all.

 

[Gilly47]

what colours is the dogtooth pls

 

[LONEWOLF]

I know lots of people who drop things in other areas, just to confuse people... :lol: Not saying this is the case here tho...

I have even picked up a small piece of Opal at Emmaville... :lol:

LW...

 

[user 4386]

Don't know it there at Echunga but widespread in SA and Vic. Looks like a waterworn pebble so could have come some distance.

 

[Schultzy33]

Don't know it there at Echunga but widespread in SA and Vic. Looks like a waterworn pebble so could have come some distance.

I tumbled the pieces, it was a large rough rock before I cut it up and polished it

 

[user 4386]

Ok - so I don't know any very local source . There are glacials from previous ice ages and they often contain pebbles transported a long way (the reason we find diamonds in Victoria etc). Ice can move large boondies..

 

[Schultzy33]

Ok - so I don't know any very local source . There are glacials from previous ice ages and they often contain pebbles transported a long way (the reason we find diamonds in Victoria etc). Ice can move large boondies..

Thanks for your help, I guess it will remain a mystery?

 

[Schultzy33]

one last thing is I find heaps of these stones while seiving and panning at chapel hill

, they are always the same shape and about the same size. Any clues?

 

[22shells]

Schultzy that looks like the same stuff I've been trying to identify a couple pages back. I think the ones like that are broken chips off those hexagon shaped crystals.

 

[Schultzy33]

The crystal second at top of your pic looks like rutile to me, Ive found heaps of the stuff. Does it glow red if you hold a light source up to it?

 

[22shells]

Yeah you're right, that one does glow red- probably rutile but it's different to the others.

 

[SWright]

G'Day I recon the stuff that 22shells showed was staurolite. It is all over the higher grade metamorphic areas.

Araluen

 

[22shells]

I think you could be right SWright. I did a search of staurolite and images and it looks pretty close. Apparently twinning of crystals is common. I hadn't noticed any twins, but I had a look over what I've got and found this one which looks like the twinning they were talking about. Might have to keep an eye out for more twins. :Y:

 

[NortheastGold]

Hi Guys, I found this large stone. Not sure if it is just smokey quartz or something else. If anyone can identify it, that would be great.

 

[user 4386]

I think you could be right SWright. I did a search of staurolite and images and it looks pretty close. Apparently twinning of crystals is common. I hadn't noticed any twins, but I had a look over what I've got and found this one which looks like the twinning they were talking about. Might have to keep an eye out for more twins. :Y:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3817/1526472226_p5161024.jpg

You could not have hexagonal cross-sections in staurolite because it is monoclinic. You mentioned hexagonal sections although you have not actually shown any photos.

 

[user 4386]

Yeah you're right, that one does glow red- probably rutile but it's different to the others.

Rutile is tetragonal so the same applies re cross-sections

 

[user 4386]

Try these foR corundum:

https://www.bing.com/search?q=corun...s=n&sk=&cvid=cd86dd06fb9b4510c9ec7cb59da64ff4

 

[22shells]

I think you could be right SWright. I did a search of staurolite and images and it looks pretty close. Apparently twinning of crystals is common. I hadn't noticed any twins, but I had a look over what I've got and found this one which looks like the twinning they were talking about. Might have to keep an eye out for more twins. :Y:
https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/3817/1526472226_p5161024.jpg

You could not have hexagonal cross-sections in staurolite because it is monoclinic. You mentioned hexagonal sections although you have not actually shown any photos.

Pic of hexagonal cross sections (ends of the crystal).