any help id ing this rock?

[andybysea]

View attachment 33940View attachment 33941 found this rock on a remote beach it has a slight magnetic attraction, it has been impacted and fractured on one edge showing inner surface, outside is smooth and glossy as if its been subjected to heat, it appears very dense and hard and weighs 400 g its probably red hematite, but would love it to be something interesting any thoughts????

 

[Stevie777]

Looks volcanic. Maybe that why the magnetism. had a few Whisky's so it could be a lump of Red Leicester for all i know. Sorry, I know i'm not much help.

 

[andybysea]

If its red leicester its past its best, i did originally think poss volcanic, i do live 50 or so miles from Arthurs seat,my brother came up with possible hematite via the photos shown (as he lives in Hampshire) so cant actually see it in the flesh so to speak, as i mentioned tried a very small magnet and certain spots of the rock are able to pick up the magnet.

 

[bushwacker bob]

Ironstone.

 

[Stevie777]

Ironstone.

Is that the same as Slag from a furnace?

 

[Paul_B]

Looks like some kind of slag or waste material to me. If you melt igneous rock then pour into water apart from steam you tend to get a kind of pillow shape which often breaks off.

As for the slight magnetism there are igneous rocks with magnetism of course. Then again I think it is possible that some iron furnace slag can also have a little magnetism and can also look a bit like those photos. Looking on a 5.2" smartphone screen so it's not very clear, so I could very easily be wrong.

 

[JAG009]

Could be an marcasite nodule ,can be used for sparks to start fire

 

[Toddy]

Haematitic iron concretion….often with the marcasite that JAG009 mentions.

Try striking it with a flint and if you get a dull red spark…there you go

M

 

[bushwacker bob]

Is that the same as Slag from a furnace?

No. Its a sedimentary rock

 

[andybysea]

Striking with flint didnt produce a spark just some loose surface dust like rust did chip theoutside edge a little appears quite brittle.

 

[JAG009]

Striking with flint didnt produce a spark just some loose surface dust like rust did chip theoutside edge a little appears quite brittle.

Its not easy, as this man says http://youtu.be/GaHNWaBmNJU Saying that, it might not even be the right rock in the first place

 

[HWMBLT]

Looks like a lump of boitroidal haematite. They are heavy with a shiny appearance on the outside. Try scraping it on something it should leave a red streak.

 

[andybysea]

Yep a dull reddish brown streak.

 

[santaman2000]

Meteorite fragment?

 

[andybysea]

I wish it was. I did camp on the same beach a few years ago and im sure i saw one entering the atmosphere on the horizon (nope wasnt a saterlite streaking across the sky) it was much larger much slower, it was night time looking out to sea,i saw a bright orange ball travelling along the horizon before dipping below it(and i wasnt to drunk honest guv).

 

[Nice65]

Ironstone.

That fits with the slightly magnetic properties. Google images look about right too.

 

[Kerne]

Haematite is my guess. Back when I did O level Geology we used to scrape it across a piece of porcelain to see what colour it streaked. As HWMBLT said.

 

[andybysea]

The haematite sounds about the closest to it cheers guys.

 

[Parbajtor]

+ 1 for haematite. I think they call that formation "Kidney ore" Florence Mine in Egremont, Cumbria produced loads of haematite with that kind of formation

 

[TinkyPete]

Definately looks like Hematite to me, I did a few years of geology and do have an A level in it (many years ago)

Here are a few links to help identifying it:
https://wwwf.imperial.ac.uk/earthsc...ocklibrary/viewminrecord.php?mineral=hematite
http://meteorite-identification.com/Hot Rocks/hematite.html
http://geology.com/minerals/hematite.shtml

The last one might be the best for you though. But will give you some general info on it.