Garry Davey Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 Hi, can anyone help please with what this? We found it on a beach in Suffolk England (North Sea). Its vey light (74g) for its size. Sorry if I've posted on the wrong forum or my photos aren't good enough. Any information about what it is would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks Garry . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 Looks like quarzite to me. 2 Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 Welcome to TFF from Austria! Pics are good and you also included a scale - very good! Thanks! You are mentioning "float" in the tags. Does it really float in seawater? Irrespective of the supposed low density, it could be calcite or gypsum. Does it fizz with vinegar? Can you scratch it with a fingernail? Franz Bernhard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 1 minute ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Looks like quarzite to me. That´s indeed also a possibility! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Davey Posted October 7, 2021 Author Share Posted October 7, 2021 Thanks so much for your help - this is really interesting (and very new to me). So it doesn't actually float, but it is very bouyant, to the point that it virtually floats in salt water. It doesnt seem to react to vinegar at all, no sign of fizzing. Yes if you scratch it then a mark is left from your fingernail. Thanks again for your help, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Davey Posted October 7, 2021 Author Share Posted October 7, 2021 sorry if I am not expressing myself properly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 Probably gypsum, then. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 1 minute ago, Tidgy's Dad said: Probably gypsum, then. 29 minutes ago, Garry Davey said: to the point that it virtually floats in salt water. Gypsum is not as dense as usual rocks, but still quite dense. "Virtually floating" is very, very well expressed, I completely understand (at least, I think, I do ). Now a lighter or candle test is in order! Would you like to pry off a small fragment and hold it with tweezers in the flame of a lighter or candle? What happens? To be safe, please do this outdoors. Somewhat toxic fumes can not be excluded, but using a small fragment and doing it outdoors its ok. Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
val horn Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 It looks frothy, volcanic pumice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coco Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 I don’t know if I’m right, but it reminds me of gray amber/whale vomit. It is light and made in the digestive tract of whales and is highly sought after in perfumery to fix odors. But it was only an opinion that crossed my mind. Coco 1 ---------------------- OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici Un Greg... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Good idea, @Coco, but it seems, it does not fit perfectly: Ambergris (link to wikipedia) We need more data from the OP! Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetradium Posted October 9, 2021 Share Posted October 9, 2021 Definitely chuck of foam worn down by the sea and stained. Manmade garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilshale Posted October 9, 2021 Share Posted October 9, 2021 (edited) On 10/7/2021 at 7:45 PM, FranzBernhard said: Gypsum is not as dense as usual rocks, but still quite dense. "Virtually floating" is very, very well expressed, I completely understand (at least, I think, I do ). Now a lighter or candle test is in order! Would you like to pry off a small fragment and hold it with tweezers in the flame of a lighter or candle? What happens? To be safe, please do this outdoors. Somewhat toxic fumes can not be excluded, but using a small fragment and doing it outdoors its ok. Franz Bernhard A lighter test is a good idea. If it does't burn, you can rule out organic material such as foam, ambergris or rosin. Edited October 9, 2021 by oilshale Be not ashamed of mistakes and thus make them crimes (Confucius, 551 BC - 479 BC). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 Aloha Ok, it does not look porous in the closeups, at least as far as I can see in the pics. That, if true, rules out pumice and foams of any kind. At least in the pics it looks more like a crystalline substance, but if the density is close to saltwater gypsum, calcite, quarz(ite) are out. Most probable suspect in my eyes is some kind of wax, resin or fat like palm oil, that are often found in chunks on our pristine beaches^^. Take care when heating it, because organic substances like these may accumulate lipophile toxins from seawater. Ambergris would be the jackpot among the possible explanations, though I doubt it. Best Regards, J 1 Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garry Davey Posted October 11, 2021 Author Share Posted October 11, 2021 Hi, many thanks for all your comments. It crumbles when you cut off a small chunk. It does burn/melt. My dog sniffs at it but doesnt seem overly interested. I have attached some additional photos after the chunk was cut off and burnt. Thanks again, Garry 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 (edited) Thank you very much for the additional info, pics and the very educative burn test with temperature gradient applied ! Some (man-made) organic material than. Its funny, how inorganic it looks and crumbles. Further ID is beyond my knowledge, though. @Mahnmut Franz Bernhard Edited October 11, 2021 by FranzBernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plax Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 Blob of sub fossil pine sap? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FranzBernhard Posted October 11, 2021 Share Posted October 11, 2021 20 minutes ago, Plax said: Blob of sub fossil pine sap? Very good idea! It isn´t very large, and yes, altered pine sap looks quite similar. Density fits also? (little bit more dense than see water). But it can be impure, so that´s not definitive. It would also have a quite distinct and pleasant odor during melting... Franz Bernhard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mahnmut Posted October 12, 2021 Share Posted October 12, 2021 (edited) Ok, its organic. I can not tell you much more. As Franzbernhard said, the smell may tell you more. I looked again at pictures of ambergris, and its still in the range. But much more often you get fat, resin or wax. Does it have a specific smell? Not a fossil question anymore, but as identifying lookalikes to amber may be of interest I hope its ok. Best Regards, J Edited October 12, 2021 by Mahnmut spelling 1 Try to learn something about everything and everything about something Thomas Henry Huxley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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