Could this be silver ore? .................

[Kelley (Texas)]

When out in the garage going through some boxes today, I came across a small box that contained a couple of arrowheads and a few small rocks that I had found up in the Texas Hill Country a few years ago. What is interesting is that this area is known for having some silver, and even some traces of gold. It is also in the area where it was rumored that Jim Bowie

 

[ojm bc]

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[Wayne in BC]

This one form of Silver ore "Galena" which is mainly lead/zinc but often contains Silver
[attachment 149088 Galena.png]

This is high grade Silver ore in quartz
[attachment 149091 silverore.png]

There are many variations and some are difficult to recognize.
Perhaps try here....Ores

 

[Kelley (Texas)]

Is it ever possible to find pure silver? Did the Indians know how to process the silver or did they find pure silver? I don't even know if I could find the site again, but if I did try to find it again, it would be best to take a hammer and a bucket with me. I could use the hammer to knock off some big pieces and bring it home in the bucket. It was a rough area to hike into...easy to get confused. I did find a couple of nice arrowheads that day. I never did extensive arrowhead hunting up in the Hill Country because some of it is extremely rough to hike in, I much preferred the brush country, even with the rattlesnakes. I could usually take a horse with me when hunting in the brush country of South Texas, often too rocky in the Hill Country. I have lots of good memories, and thankful that I have been fortunate to have lived in the good times of this great nation. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

 

[ojm bc]

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[Kelley (Texas)]

a horse can only breath through it's nostrils...it can not breath through their mouths like we can. The danger arises when the horse sees the snake and puts it face down to see what it is...and is bitten on the face. The nostrils will swell to the point of closing and the horse then can not breath. In the brush country, we will usually have two 6" sections of water hose, either in the saddle bag or at the barn. When the horse gets bitten in the face, we will insert the two 6" sections of water hose into the nostril so that the horse can get air...the hose prevents the nostrils from completely closing. A rattlesnake biting a horse on the leg is not usually fatal because the horse does not have many blood vessels in it's leg and you must also consider that the horse has more body mass than a human. If the snake bite is within inches of the hoof, you should be aware of the possibility of Founder...which is another story in it's self. Of course, it is always best to get some vet help for the horse as soon as possible. I hope this answers your question. Please have a great day! Kelley (Texas)

Foot note: A horse has a good memory, once bitten, they seldom get bitten again during their life time. A rattlesnake has a bad smell and the horse will remember that smell as well as the pain from the snake biting it. Many years ago, while chasing a mama cow and calf through some brush, the horse that I was riding suddenly came to a complete halt...almost sending me over his head. A split second later I heard several rattlesnakes sounding off at the same time. That horse either smelled or heard those snakes.

I use to write a few stories about ranch life down here in South Texas, but I stopped due to not much response from many folks. Then my diabetic problem became severe and we sold the ranch and moved into the city...and I stopped completely writing stories about my brush country experiences. A few good folks like Royal, Wayne, Mike, and Linda always seemed to enjoy the ranch stories and gave me much encouragement...maybe I should give it another try and see what happens. Fred Kelley

 

[Micheal_R]

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[George-CT]

I wonder if they crush it up and then smelt it down. I know a little about the finish product, but zero about it in its natural state. Yet, I would still enjoy finding it that way in cased in a rock. I guess lead is found the same way. Not much mining up this way. There is a copper mine not to far from me. I've been in it a few times but again, its mixed in the stone and must take one heck of a lot of work to get it out. Only other mines in these parts that I know of are open mines for Silica, and mica.

George-CT

 

[Wayne in BC]

in Quartz is very common due to the high amounts of Silica (which makes up Quartz) in the hot volcanic gases that deposited it along with heavy minerals such as Gold, Silver, Lead, Zinc, Iron, etc in the cracks and seams of the rocks surrounding the vents.
Obsidian for instance, which was often used for arrowheads is made up of Lava containing high Silica content and some other dark minerals coming into contact with water and cooling rapidly, so it is really just black Quartz.

 

[ojm bc]

I never knew that about horses only breathing through the nostrils, is that the same with livestock? oj