ultra rare
datolite
looks like porcelain · copper stains it
The tell
A dense, smooth nodule that looks like unglazed porcelain in white, cream, pink or orange, and feels tight and solid in the hand.
Yes, it looks like a potato until it is cut. The cut face is why people chase it, and Keweenaw copper mine dumps are the source. Ask permission; most of them are on private land.
The beaches are open. The mine rock piles are not: that is private ground, and the difference matters. Ask first, and take the no for an answer.
What it gets mistaken for
- thomsonite
- banded chert
- quartz
- potato
- concretion
The facts
- also calledlooks like porcelain · the copper stains it pink
- age~1.06 billion yrs
- where it turns upKeweenaw mine dumps (private) · rarely on beaches
- the field markporcelain-white nodule · a knife just barely marks it
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