Confession:
 

I've been stealing rocks from my local metropark for about six months now. Not a lot (five so far) but they are big (one my son had to move one for me) and very white and sparkly though not quartz or micah. It looks whiter than limestone---prettier than limestone ----but I don't know what it is.

I do it to quash a different urge I get from time to time and yes, I know it's stealing from a public park, but there's TONS of rocks there. (yes, I know it's still wrong).

I'm wondering what these rocks are. The area is called Moraine-which means 'a big glacier came thru here' or some such.

I'm really fascinated with rocks now; and Zen's rock pics make me drool, actually. I've never felt this way about anything for a long, long time (Interested, I guess you'd call it) but anyway----I wanted to come clean and beg you not to turn me in to the park police. But these are some really cool rocks. I usually go to the park and scout it out and come back later to get the rock I want.

I'm also building cairns from rocks I got at the Cape and Maine (Reid state park) and I have about five on my front porch. Some JW's came by a few months ago and asked, "What are those rock things?" and I said, "Oh, it's just a thing...." and they seemed spooked which delighted me.

I wonder why people LIKE to or feel the urge to stack rocks, etc.

anyway---if anyone knows anything about this it'd be great to hear it.

also---I'm very interested in Tanzanite---the price has skyrocketed and it's only found in Tanzania at the foot of Mt. Kilamanjaro. goes for HUGE bucks these days.

I've got some Larimar which is a soft blue stone only found in one place in the D.R. which (supposedly) Edgar Cayce predicted and said it was the "Atlantis" stone.

anyone else into this?

Trilby...see your PM. I got a brudder in da biz.

Tribly,
if you go back to Maine next summer, you need to go to Mount Apatite. It's in Auburn, not too far from the little airport there.

It's a free public park where you are allowed to go and collect as many rocks as you want, as long as you only use hand tools. Lots of minerals and quartz. Mica, garnet. It used to be a mine. There is supposedly some apatite there too, but I haven't found any.

There are a couple spots with hillsides of pretty quartz rocks.
Attachment 42066

Last time we went, we allowed the kids to fill a small tupperware container each. Didn't want to be driving around with a trunk full of rocks. This is what my daughter got. You can see some quartz and several little rocks with veins of garnet in them. The kids had fun with a hammer and cold chisel, smashing rocks looking for gems. Safety glasses recommended.
Attachment 42067

thanks glatt! I had no idea that was there and I'm going to Auburn/Tripp in the summer.....awesome!

It's kinda freaky going there, because you have to park at the National Guard facility and walk past the army equipment and all the warning signs about trespassing on US military property, but it's clearly marked where you can go. It just doesn't look anything like a park when you drive up to it, and you have to walk for ten minutes or so into the woods before you start finding the rock piles and quarries.

Pull the other one.;)

Pull the other what?

Leg. As in, "You are pulling my leg."

As in, "I've heard that before."

As in, "I'm not laying a guilt trip on youwhereareMYrocks?"

:p:

Glatt, looking at that picture makes me hungry.

:bolt:

It's been a great week, folks. I hoped you like the fossilized Trilobyte.

You've got quite the apatite.
:D

Still sitting on my back porch. I'm a procrastinator. And you seemed to be out of the knappin'.

I'm sorry. :(

I'm only out of knapping 'cause I'm out of stone. :(

I hope you're sorry, forcing me to live in the 21st century...

I will send them. I suck at doing....well, anything I'm supposed to.

ASk Ortho how many months she had to wait for her tea. Shit, I owe a bunch of dwellars photos from YEARS ago.

I suck too.

;)

If you're anywhere near Massachusetts, visit Cummington and collect some of the local mineral.

http://webmineral.com/data/Cummingtonite.shtml

:lol:

Please post pictures of your ill-gotten rocks, so we can report you to homeland security identify them for you.

Ok, tomorrow I'll take some webcam pics!!

Although I live near there I probably won't be Cummingtonite or another night in the near future.

Not getting your rocks off, then? ;)

I looked at that stuff. This is what it reminded me of. I wouldn't ingest any if I were you.

Yes, but you got narcotics with your rock, now didn't you?

Not a bad trade.

I was gonna say... who shall cast the first stone, and all that. ;)

I know! I had totally forgotten! At least he told on himself. :lol:

But then again I did get that awesome Filing Technique mug. :blush:

sup---my older boy who had to help me post these pics!

rock
 

rock

closer....
 

closer still....

see the whitey-nes in the sun....
 

moar...

part of backyard with shrine in corner...need to do a fall cleanup, eh?

another part of back yard....

rocks...

the storm door my father had a fit over....

part of living room---yes, the walls are purple.

heroin couch...

opium chair....

part of the room where I waste time here on the computer...

my sweetie Autumn

another part of LV

my world....the TV....

part of bay window

I have one of the very few remaining wood/brick houses--most people updated to siding of some sort. i really need to scrape and paint but that's a job for next spring/summer.

the end!

Look at your place!

*Waves*

*waves back!*

but do you know anything about that rock?

looks very much like marble.

really??

eta: bet you're right. It's a limestone sort of stone and we have tons of limestone around here.

cool.

thanks for the tour, your place looks so nice!

I especially like the giant wooden hand reaching out of the ground in the back yard.

Yeah, that was one of the six trees I had come down during a straight wind storm. I HAD 11 trees in my yard --- the side yard is pretty big, and it lost four and I lost two in the back. The big wooden hand one was my favorite one. I wanted the tree guys to save as much of it as they could----I knew it wouldn't grow back, but I still like it.

and thanks for the compliment! Don't look too closely in any corners, etc. Loads of animal fur, dust, grime, etc. It's an old house.

You rock!

do you guys (BigV and Spexx) have any idea about the rocks? Do you think they are marble, too?

marble + vinegar --> crystals + bubbles (may take a few hours)

CaCO3 + 2CH3COOH = Ca (CH3COO)2 + CO2 + H2O

soak it in the solution or just pour it over the rock and wait to see if bubbles appear?

Soaking a few crystals in a dish might be better.

Gypsum?
Here's a chart

http://www.brainstormeducation.com/i...l#.UMkLKKzhcVo

Marble is limestone after metamorphosis, i.e. subjected to heat and pressure. Same chemicals though.

This looks to be somewhere between the two - slightly metamorphised limestone, or poorly metamorphised marble.

I was going to facetiously suggest that you splash a few drops of hydrochloric acid on it and look for bubbles, this being a standard test for limestone, but I think Lamplighter has a more practical idea.

christmas window

end of hallway

Now I really AM done!

thanks for all your info----it's either crappy marble or crappy gypsum. I;m going to buy bags of small gypsum to put on the rest of the grass (weeds) in that area between the driveway and the side of the house. It gets sun from sunup to sundown and it's difficult to grow anything pretty there---I might be able to do a cactus but I don't like those. so I'm going to put a bunch of small gypsum down thruout that area.

Whoa -- what are all the thingies hanging in the window? I like the spiral one a lot!

Marble?!
You're soaking in it.

as for the rocks.. I'm no expert, but the biggest ones looked like leaverite to me.