GEM KNOWLEDGE · LABORATORY NOTES
Mystery Stone 3 (Pakistan)
An unnamed heart-shaped specimen from Pakistan examined to identify its main components.
Finding: Sample 8114, completed April 14, 2020, is a coarse-grained amphibole- and plagioclase-rich metamorphic rock, essentially amphibolite. Clay alteration was noted at contacts between amphibole and plagioclase.
The researcher interpreted a mafic precursor, such as basalt. “Mystery Stone 3” is a directory label for the submitted specimen, not a formal mineral name. Other unnamed materials require separate identification.
View the original report
Select a page to enlarge it. 2 pages; findings are summarized in accessible text above.
Report images © Soul Body Gems, Alexander Falster and the Maine Mineral & Gem Museum. Please acknowledge all three when referring to these results. Findings apply to the specimen examined.
Understanding the report figures
Use this guide alongside the written findings and the original report transcript. It explains the purpose of each analytical figure and preserves the laboratory’s own figure labels. The interpretations apply to the tested specimen; signals alone do not establish the identity of every similar-looking stone.
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Electron microscope image: This view shows small-scale regions selected for analysis. Its brightness contrast helps distinguish regions with different compositions; it is not a photograph of their natural colors. Numbered spots connect this view to the analyses listed in the report.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig 1: Backscattered electron photomicrograph of area 1 in sample 8114.
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Elemental spectrum: The peaks record characteristic X-ray signals from elements in the analyzed spot or area. This is an analysis of that location, not automatically of the entire specimen. Any mineral identification or uncertainty named in the laboratory caption is retained below.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig. 2: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 1. (plagioclase feldspar)
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Elemental spectrum: The peaks record characteristic X-ray signals from elements in the analyzed spot or area. This is an analysis of that location, not automatically of the entire specimen. Any mineral identification or uncertainty named in the laboratory caption is retained below.
Laboratory figure caption: Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 2 in Fig. 1. (amphibole)
Read the original laboratory report as text
The following text and tables are transcribed from the original laboratory document. Figure captions identify the report images; the laboratory interpretations and limitations are preserved.
Laboratory report 1
Analytical Result Report
Sample id: 8114 Pakistan heart
Submitted by: Kathreen Bitner
Date submitted: April 10, 2020
Date completed: April 14, 2020
Operating conditions: JEOL JSM-6400 operated at 25 kV acceleration potential, 15 mm working distance, 15 degrees sample tilt, coated with 250 Å carbon. Using the X-ray fluorescence attacement with 35kv potental in conjunction with the EDS system
Fig 1: Backscattered electron photomicrograph of area 1 in sample 8114.
Fig. 2: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 1 in Fig. 1. (plagioclase feldspar)
Fig. 3: Energy dispersive spectrum of spot 2 in Fig. 1. (amphibole)
Summary of findings: This material is a coarse-grained amphibole/plagioclase-rich rock. Essentially a coarse-grained amphibolite, a metamorphic rock that had a mafic rock as protolith, such as a basalt. Around the amphiboles in contact with the plagioclase, some clay alteration is present, as seen in spot 3 in Fig. 1.
Date: 4-14-2020 Signature