I live in central New Mexico. I found a lot of rocks within a hiking trail ive never seen before. Unfortanatley I don t have a picture, but they are bright yellow and red. They are very dusty and it rubs off on your fingers, but it s also super tough. The one I brought home took a few hits from a sledgehammer before breaking, which is surprising considering the dusty aspect of it, as it was super easy to scratch, which made it appear weak. The inside sparkled as if it had metal glitter in it. I was advised to throw the stone away by some folks, saying it could be a radioactive substance like carnotite. If anyone has any clue what it could be, and if I m at any risk after handling it with my bare hands, lemme know. There was a lot of these rocks, and they were everywhere
Answers (1)
Well, it has been sixty years since I did any rockhounding, but I remember that the most reliable way to identify something is if you have seen it before. The most important factor is where it came from. Other than that, it can get tricky.
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