While hiking along Lake Michigan's eastern shoreline, we happened upon a very interesting specimen of what appears to be raw copper complete with teal oxidation. The rock had tumbled up the beach from wave action and caught the eye almost immediately. Light bluish teal and copper colored flecks dot the outside of the rock on both sides. One side contains more areas of oxidation and larger pitted cavities where the copper meets the surface.
The opposite side features small pits with copper flecks shining through on its surface. Round, crater-like holes, likely from weathering erosion effectively cover this side. Dots of copper are found among these tiny craters. The surface also developed a bit of sheen from tumbling in the waves with smaller rocks. After searching the area thoroughly, no similar rocks, fragments, or gemstones were found in the vicinity.
Though copper isn't often sought after by rock hounds, it's still a great to add to a general collection. Plus there is a distinct possibility of locating precious gems in the same area as copper deposits. Interestingly enough, we did want to find a piece of copper in a natural setting, however a specimen washed up on the beach is some distance away from the concentration. In fact this rock could have been part of a payload crossing the lake at some point. Either way we are happy to include this specimen in our collection, possibly as a stone to slice open for further analysis in the future.
