what kind of stone is this

this stone so they say comes from the virgin islands and was under water for approx 4000 years. i have no clue if that is true or not . it weighs about 40lbs

I love rocks.

Your rock is pretty.

Why do you think your rock might be a fake?

Or is there a cool story of how you acquired the rock?

Wouldn't it have been fun if your were 10 years old, digging to China, in the back yard, like all kids do, and ya dug that up?!  Too much fun!

Hi, i dont think the rock is fake, a rock is a rock and when it falls down in the forrest it does make a noise lol hee hee

However the story behind it might be fake, i dont know...  But  as the story goes.

Many many years ago there was a man that went to the virgin islands on a business trip. While there he had some free time and so he went skin diving off the coast with a group of friends.  While diving he saw this rock sticking out of the ocean floor and decided that he had to have it.  So his friends helped him get it back to shore and they shipped it to the good ol USA, where it sat in his back yard for many years.  The story does not say if he passed away or just moved away but at some point the house sold and was then sold several more times with each owner having the rock in their back yard but never really paying much attention to it.  Then my parents purchased the home and the neighbor who had lived next door for 50 years told my dad of the story behind the rock.  When my folks sold the house and moved away they loved the rock so much that they took it with them to the desert. 

And now my dad gave it to me, and i put it on the floorboard of my truck and hauled it back with me to E. Texas where it now sits in my yard.  As far as i know, noone with any expertise in the rock world has ever certified and determined the kind of rock, where it likely came from, and how old it is.    Although the rumor is that it was over 4000 years old when it was found in the ocean. 

That is all i know about it.. 

Seems like a good place to go would be the rock and gem show in Quartzite this winter if it takes place.

How about this...Verdite?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Verdite_(microcrystalline_fuchsite_metamorphite)_South_Africa.jpg

Where in East Texas are you djw??  I graduated High School from Grand Saline.

Basalt, perhaps. Though the greenish hue on the outside suggests some cuprous compound in it.

Darshen is right. Take it to the next Quartzite.

edjunior im in quitman, not far down the road at all from grand saline.  Could be verdite but i dont have any history of it being from africa. 


Quartzite AZ would be the place to find out i suppose but im not ready for such a long trip.


I was originally thinking it might be larimar stone which comes from the virgin islands part of the world. But i have no proof of that either.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Larimar

It's beautiful! Can you send a photo to one of the geological places or museums perhaps? 

Assuming it was in shallow water popular with scuba divers in the virgin islands, and not completely encrusted with coral, my guess is that it was a ballast stone on a sailing ship, 40 pounds would be in the right weight range, light enough for a man to carry, heavy enough to be worth moving around for ballast.  As such it could have came from anywhere in the world, with Africa being a likely source given the slave trade and its ties to the Caribbean.  The green copper content could also explain the lack of coral growth as copper has long been used in marine anti-fouling paints, as it is toxic to marine life.  see https://www.ncpedia.org/ballast-stones

jackiemac  - great idea i just sent a message to the local geological society and lets see what they say.

Isaac-1  - that is interesting, that surely would explain how it got here from africa if in fact it is from africa.  If that is the case then its possible that one of the museums might like to purchase it for their display.  That surely would be a interesting story behind it... 

I wet the stone with my waterhose earlier and wow it jumps to life, the colors are sooo vivid and deep, its very cool....  I dont want to do that too often because its possible i guess that the chlorine and other minerals in the drinking water might harm the stone.

Im also wondering if that V notch is natural, it looks like a clean cut, could nature do that?

here is a link to some other images 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1KS3UsNBCcQMqwS3GJvKVthNyXoO_et83?usp=sharing

if you have a college nearby, maybe they have a geology department.  Many years ago I knew a girl from Costa Rica attending grad school in geology at UT Dallas in Richardson.  Lost touch with her a long time ago, but I'll bet folks there would know.

Place the rock on the top of an incline and see if it rolls. If it does then it is a rolling stone. If it does not roll then it might be Brian Jones.

Groan!! ;D I am thinking it might be jade, possibly used as barter goods.

SeilerBird said:

Place the rock on the top of an incline and see if it rolls. If it does then it is a rolling stone. If it does not roll then it might be Brian Jones.

Click to expand...

Ugghh.  That's just not right!  Funny though!