Strange chunk of metal, has NO effect on detector, what is it?

This is a large nugget of metal, looks like gold, isnt, and has no effect on my minelab gpx 5000....does anyone know what it might be?

My guess would be a type of pyrite sorry I'm no help, but as I say that is my guess.

Cheers

I thought pyrite was brittle? This is as solid as steel. And VERY heavy. I also thought pyrite would be detected by the detector? non ferrous? No?

Here's another side of it. Has strange "cut" marks, but they're not uniform or consistent, kinda like a crystal or a geode......solid metal, very heavy, golden color.

Silentarrow,Does it leave any streak marks when rubbed on paper?

Cheers kon61.

it looks like pyrite but if you say its solid steel like it could be part of a nickle iron meteorite but in saying that , if it was it would be picked up by your detector . try a magnet on it .

I would say it is Galina, (not sure of the spelling)
We used to use it in cristal radios back in the dim past.

Ron

If it is a brassy yellow colour and a bit sparkly, brittle and heavy then might be Iron pyrites.

Won't effect a PI much because it is mineral iron but it might detect on your vlf if you have one. Pushes the threshold down. if you found it while detecting then you are definately in gold country.

Does it conduct electricity?

Silentarrow

You say it's gold coloured but those pics show as silver on my screen, BUT, if it is gold or brass coloured then my guess is that it's Chalcopyrite.

Jim

Might be Hematite if it is very heavy and leaves a redish brown streak when you rub it down the edge of one of your missus broken antique china plates
The Stiations are typical of Hematite.
Another chap mentioned Chalcopyrite; I am not 100% certain but I don't think Chalcopyrite is found in Australia. It is also found in Platy hexagonal chrystal form. Your speci is not totally hexagonal form but I can see trigonal, hexagonal & rhombohedral crystal forms.
The trigonal crystal system is the only crystal system whose point groups have more than one lattice system associated with their space groups: the hexagonal and rhombohedral lattices both appear.

Without holding it in my hot little hands I cannot say for certain what the speci is.

Adrian SS

I would look at the group with Many-faceted Personalities.

1_Bi= Bismuth
2_Sb=Antimony
3_As=Arsenic

ivanll

Thanx much for all the replies chaps. Tho I'm still confused as to what this is. Has no effect on a magnet either. Used a rare earth magnet. Im going to make a HD video and post it to youtube. As soon as its ready I'll post the link here.

On a side note, does anyone know what the value would be should any of the replies here be correct?

Maybe I'll stop by the geology dept here at university to see if a prof would look at it as well. Any news and I'll update you all.

Silentarrow I see you are located in USA and I still reckon it's Chalcopyrite, just do a search on Google and check out the pics.

Jim

Well that kicks out Hematite

ASS

silentarrow wrote:This is a large nugget of metal, looks like gold, isnt, and has no effect on my minelab gpx 5000....does anyone know what it might be?

you did not say how you found it but it looks like slag, or dross left over from smelting, but don't take my word for it. could be worth nothing or millions.

Jims Gold wrote:Silentarrow I see you are located in USA and I still reckon it's Chalcopyrite, just do a search on Google and check out the pics.

Jim

Id have to disagree with this, based on the google search stating that a characteristic of Chalcopyrite is "brittleness". This hunk of metal is EXTREMELY solid.

http://www.galleries.com/minerals/sulfides/chalcopy/chalcopy.htm

(bottom of page)

Billsymo wrote:

silentarrow wrote:This is a large nugget of metal, looks like gold, isnt, and has no effect on my minelab gpx 5000....does anyone know what it might be?

you did not say how you found it but it looks like slag, or dross left over from smelting, but don't take my word for it. could be worth nothing or millions.

Couldnt be with all the "striations". They almost look like its been cut with a saw, yet theyre inconsistent and run in opposite directs from eachother

Is there such thing as a metal that has NO effect on a detector?

Check out the pic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcopyrite

Jims Gold wrote:Check out the pic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcopyrite

I now think Jim's correct. Picture is nearly identical to what I have. Cheers Jim. Any idea what it might be worth? And why does it have no effect on my detector? I tried my excaliburII as well. Zero change to the threshold.

If anyone is wondering, I bought a desk from an estate sale and this little 2.25oz bugger was in the drawer.

Rubs off sparklies on the bottom of a china plate.

silentarrow wrote:I thought pyrite was brittle? This is as solid as steel. And VERY heavy. I also thought pyrite would be detected by the detector? non ferrous? No?

You said it is very heavy; Chalcophyrite is not a heavy mineral with an sg of 4.1 to 4.3.
You also said that it was not brittle but your streak test demonstrates that it is brittle..
Mumble, mumble, mumble.

Hi
Looks like galena to me too, if you found it around a old mine it most likely wasn't a gold mine but a lead one.
Mark

Two options:
1). Do a specific gravity test on it and Google SGs of minerals.
2). Check that the detector is working, (if it is metal you have a problem).
Keep us informed when you solve the mystery.
Hope it's not Kryptonite, you might meet up with Superman and he will not be impressed.

You said it weighed 2.25 oz dry weight.
Get a small plastic container and put enough water in to completly cover the speci while suspended in the water.
Set the scale to read zero with the container of water on the scale weigh pan. Tie a length of cotton thread around the speci, completely wet the speci to help get rid of bubbles when suspended. Hold the other end of the cotton and Suspend the speci in the water container on the weigh pan, do not let the speci or cotton contact the container or scale, make sure there is no bubbles on the speci, now read the weight displayed, this figure is the weight of the displaced water. Divide that weight into the dry weight of the speci and the result is the sg. In this case it will be a close approximation unless you can get a scale that reads to 3 decimal places and measures in grams. Let us know what you get.
Be sure that the speci is completely dry before doing the dry weighing.

Adrian SS

ring and speak to a Goelogist....