ready2hunt Report post Posted March 8, 2016 It looks like bismuth. I wonder if the intense heat of the smelter altered the chemical or crystal composition. Neat stuff! Thanks for sharing. Similar to Bismuth crystals. But Bismuth are square pyramidal crystals, these are triangular pyramidal. And Bismuth is multicolored, this is black. But fantastic eye for similarities. Good call. have you taken this to the material science engineering group at ASU? That is was my major and I could put you in touch with guys over there to characterize it. PM me if interested. I hope you do this. That is just crazy looking. Let us know what they say. My father in law and his father ran sluices in the Yukon for a while. I love seeing the stuff they came back with. Good luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhxDT Report post Posted March 9, 2016 It looks like bismuth. I wonder if the intense heat of the smelter altered the chemical or crystal composition. Neat stuff! Thanks for sharing. Similar to Bismuth crystals. But Bismuth are square pyramidal crystals, these are triangular pyramidal. And Bismuth is multicolored, this is black. But fantastic eye for similarities. Good call. have you taken this to the material science engineering group at ASU? That is was my major and I could put you in touch with guys over there to characterize it. PM me if interested. I hope you do this. That is just crazy looking. Let us know what they say. My father in law and his father ran sluices in the Yukon for a while. I love seeing the stuff they came back with. Good luck. i ran it past my professor. He actually remembered me after 13 years. That a good or bad thing?? Confirmed: it is Bismouth. The interesting finish is either a sulfide compound, or the natural oxide of the bismouth. no way to tell unless you do some destructive testing. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Titanium700 Report post Posted March 9, 2016 Pretty cool Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rcdinaz Report post Posted March 9, 2016 I am pretty sure that is the key to the "Fortress of Solitude" now all you need is a trip to the north Pole! Take your gun, make it a polar bear hunt combo! 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bojangles Report post Posted March 11, 2016 diamond point has lots of quartz, but the digging season is closed, you can pick up stuff that's laying there. also, the paleo site on 260 has lots of aquatic fossils. i take my kids there quite often, it's always a blast for them. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhxDT Report post Posted March 11, 2016 diamond point has lots of quartz, but the digging season is closed, you can pick up stuff that's laying there. also, the paleo site on 260 has lots of aquatic fossils. i take my kids there quite often, it's always a blast for them. why is digging season closed? rain exposing the rocks or something like that? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhxDT Report post Posted March 24, 2016 Thank you all for your advice. I am talking my two boys out for some rock hunting tomorrow. They are super stoked. I'll post pictures. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trphyhntr Report post Posted March 24, 2016 Don't mess with me lance are you serious Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhxDT Report post Posted March 27, 2016 well, sometimes things don't turn out how you'd expect it. I went towards Perlite Rd, only to find out that this was on the only road closed with the work they are doing on the 60. Instead of trying Picket Post Rd, I tried to work the back side access by driving down some rough roads. We then hiked in two miles to get to the spot, only to find our that my GPS coordinates weren't the same projections (pushing me to the wrong spot). The good news: - we found some nice pieces of common opal, and the kids loved picking up other pieces, including schist. - my 4x4 works just fine - 4 miles of hiking with my 4 and 7 year old boys. Waay better than playing on the Ipad. Thanks guys for the ideas. The boys are begging to do it again. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhxDT Report post Posted March 27, 2016 Here is a pic on the way. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Browns Report post Posted March 27, 2016 Where are the rock pics?????? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhxDT Report post Posted March 28, 2016 Where are the rock pics?????? haha. They are stuffed into my boys collection. I'll pull them out and snap one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trphyhntr Report post Posted March 28, 2016 So here it is. And the story behind it. Dubbed "Kenyonite" by my Granddad and Dad. My Granddad worked in the smelter in Douglas for Phelps Dodge smelting the copper ore. Huge furnaces were utilized to melt the ore, separating rock from metals. Every so often, they would have to clean the furnaces. They would pump extra fuel and oxygen into the furnaces and burn off all of the slag that would accumulate on the walls. Then they would let the furnaces cool for a couple days, and go in with a 4ga. shotgun on a tripod and shoot the walls to get the remaining slag that did not melt off. Only one time in my Granddad's 30+ years did they ever find anything like this. It was on the back wall of one of the furnaces next to a gas port when the furnace cooled. Never seen before, and never seen again. It is very heavy, has to have a high metal content. My Dad never got it sampled, but you should see the gemologist and geologists eyes when they see it. Priceless. My Dad has had it down to the Tucson Rock & Mineral show a few times, and those guys go ape over it. I have had my piece for 10 years or so. My Dad has had his for 30+ that I can remember. Not a spot of rust or corrosion over all that time. Here is my piece, the smallest of the "Kenyonite" pieces. Check out those crystals.... its bismuth. google told me. so bad butt, i cant believe its in the earth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
