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Any Ideas About This Huge Nugget


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Hello all, i like to take the kids on hikes and look for cool rocks.  I came across this but no one can tell me what it is, and I've looked for an assayer in my area. The closest is quite aways away. I live in so cal. Any help would be fantastic. This weighs approx. 8.79 oz

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Is it really heavy? If not it’s just melted aluminum and I would not waste further time in it. It is not natural, definitely been melted. Chance of it being platinum or rhodium I would put at near zero. They cannot be melted by normal means. If heavy almost sure to be lead but melted silver is not impossible.

Lead melts at around 620 °F and so is rather easy to melt. Silver has a melting point almost three times higher than lead at around 1763 °F. There are acid tests available for silver.

 

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A specific gravity test will separate aluminum from silver/lead and from platinum group metals quite easily.  If done carefully it will separate lead from silver (and also from stainless steel, although I doubt this is SS).  Aluminum is 2.7 to 3 (depending upon alloy), SS around 7-8, silver in the low 10's, lead in the low 11's, platinum group 18+ (which sets it apart from most metals, other than tungsten and gold which are also way up there).

From the patina I doubt it's lead, although I can't rule that out.  Lead is gray most of the time (or even white sometimes after a long exposure time).  I agree with Steve that it's quite likely aluminum.  I find quite a bit of melted aluminum in places I wouldn't expect it.  (I also find a lot of melted lead and lead-tin solder, but as mentioned those tends to turn gray relatively quickly.)

For your sake I do hope it's a precious metal, though.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I agree with all of the above comments. The smooth top and rough bottom are possible clues to a fire origin. A SWAG calculation using your photo with the quarter and your 8.79 oz weight strongly suggests aluminum. 

 

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