Native or Not!

I found this detecting in the woods is it
native copper or just something that melted in a fire.

Native copper primarily in the states is indigenous In Upper Mi. Not to say yours isn't. But, most likely not....Mike        



http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM52/AM52_352.pdf

I do notice that it's been around long enough to have been worn smooth in spots??  Tony

Tony, once you and 4_H have figured this one out get over to relic lovers post "I can't even guess" and tell me if that thing could possibly be a fork to hold the contact wheel on a very old magneto square trip rod.  You've got an engine or two so you might have some ideas.   

IF in fact it is copper..

I would give it a scratch to see if it isnt tarnished Gold but it Is definatly a Natural Nugget.

You cannot make a speciman like that in a fire pit..unless you had dragged it in a creek bed for several hundred yrs.

I would be spendin more time near where U found that.

Even to my untrained eye, that looks better than just some melted metal.
Be aware of your exposing too much information.

Mike

   If this indeed a copper specimen....its a very good melted specimen.  Like others here have said I don't think you can produce that in a campfire.  Copper melts at 1084 degrees C and 1983 degrees F.  At these temperatures you would also be introducing other slag, dirt, and impurities into the sample. I believe it would take a forge or intentional furnace to create a nice sample like this other than "mother nature" herself deep in her bowels.  Also copper in its Natural or Native state is crystalline in growth structure. This has met with some high heat in some manner or another....just not a campfire in my opinion.

TiredIron

Looks like a gold nugget to me!  There , I said it.  Monty

Here are a couple of pictures that show the copper and gold color better.

     Just want to tag along and see how this turns out. I guess it could be Rose gold?

   Your pictures are looking prettier.....and prettier. I think you better go have some acid tests run combined with specific gravity measurements.  It could be a combination of several minerals.
You definitely need to find out.

TiredIron

That is a sweet find, I would check the library and see if there were any furnances operating in that area from the late 1760's forward.

Its part of a meteorite.

OK this should show the people who think this is man made

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgu...opper%2Bnuggets%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

click the link approx 4-5 examples down for more copper nuggets

there are many examples of natural nuggets in various states of Wear.

as you can see they worn nuggets exhibit the same features as the nugget in ques.

Green tick Natural Copper Nugget.

you Are goin back to look closer now arent You?

OK, so maybe it is a "nugget" ? ....Go back and get more!   

OK this should show the people who think this is man made

http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgu...opper%2Bnuggets%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den

click the link approx 4-5 examples down for more copper nuggets

there are many examples of natural nuggets in various states of Wear.

as you can see they worn nuggets exhibit the same features as the nugget in ques.

Green tick Natural Copper Nugget.

you Are goin back to look closer now arent You?

      "I think not".......

     Remember...."none" of the examples of copper in "GG's website are "naturally" occuring specimens.
Every one is a piece of "natural" copper that has spent time in a "mill"....and one or two state that additional "hand polishing" was done.  In a nutshell....."none" of these represent copper in its natural state and are "man made".  If you want examples of "naturally occuring"....look at this site.
http://www.mindat.org/gallery.php?c...1&min=1209&cf_pager_page=84

TiredIron

take it as You like TI ..put your examples in a creek bed for several hundred years & they will become rounded & smashed over as well.

your examples have not been exposed to harsh erosion ( found near the source & mostly cleaned of gange to expose the crystal forms)

One can look up native Gold specimans as well to see both crystaline examples as well as Worn nuggets.

When you see a worn Gold Nugget do you assume it was rescued for a Mill.Of Course Not.

My examples are to show Your crystaline Examples Will IN Deed turn out to look JUST like the OP's example after it has had exposure to creek/Glacier/landslide or what have you Erosion


For those in Doubt simply type "Copper Nugget" into Google images

Heres a way you could make a copper nugget that would resemble this. Place a Revereware pot on a electric burner on high and leave home for several hours.  When you return your nugget should be ready.

I was looking at some of the copper nuggets online and some had some green on them.
When I found this it was blackish in color with a little copper and brass showing through.
It didn't look like this until I cleaned it for a couple hours in my rock tumbler.
I know some people have suggested its gold but doesn't gold usually come out of the ground
nice and shiny and clean? Here is a photo of the THING in its original condition.
Thanks for all the remarks its very interesting to follow the reply's.

take it as You like TI ..put your examples in a creek bed for several hundred years & they will become rounded & smashed over as well.

     GG...... I don't dispute that Gold or Copper can achieve this condition and appearance over time...in nature. My point was that it also can be achieved by man through extreme high heat or physical manipulation as in a mill.  You posted your example and stated..."This should show the people who THINK this is man made". Your examples "are" man made.  My examples were of the other extreme,
made by nature and still in its virgin state. We hardly ever see Silver nuggets.... do we?  We're on the same page...just stating the obvious different ways I guess.

TiredIron

has copper and gold ever been found together? most native copper i have seen comes with some stone included. a nugget would need heat and i am unaware of volcanic activity near ct.. a nugget can achieve that smoothness if molten metal was to meet water.

A noteworthy fact about gold nuggets is their fineness, or actual pure gold content. Most of the gold found in the American West is alloyed with silver, and rarely copper. This means that nuggets are frequently composed of mixtures of gold and silver with mostly 75% to 85% gold and 15% to 25% silver.  This is quoted from the internet.

TiredIron

take it as You like TI ..put your examples in a creek bed for several hundred years & they will become rounded & smashed over as well.

     GG...... I don't dispute that Gold or Copper can achieve this condition and appearance over time...in nature. My point was that it also can be achieved by man through extreme high heat or physical manipulation as in a mill.  You posted your example and stated..."This should show the people who THINK this is man made". Your examples "are" man made.  My examples were of the other extreme,
made by nature and still in its virgin state. We hardly ever see Silver nuggets.... do we?  We're on the same page...just stating the obvious different ways I guess.

TiredIron

most silver occurs in crystal form i think

has copper and gold ever been found together? most native copper i have seen comes with some stone included. a nugget would need heat and i am unaware of volcanic activity near ct.. a nugget can achieve that smoothness if molten metal was to meet water.

Nice point you see the encrusted stuff where the copper has folded over..thats the Gange i spoke of earlier

I reckon its slag.

I say this because if you look at the pic, you see two parallel lines? They are impressions, Nature doesnt do those. To my eye, the entire back of this just says it has been dropped and cooled.

I wish it was gold tho.

I think it's "slag" as well but I'm not going to argue about it

The gold/copper look may indicate slag alloy mix. Have you tested it yet?