Unidentified Metal- please help

Originally Posted by Escrap

To me they look very suspect of Argentiferous galena. Galena is a lead sulfide which makes it a very dense and heavy rock. This may also show why there is no magnet attraction as well. Here is a picture for reference. I am from Illinois and have seen quite a bit of this material. The edges of the Illinois Basin hold vast quantities of this type of material. This rock is the core mineral in lead mining, but also tends to have quantities of silver and zinc as well.

The pictures provided lack the "flaky" look of that mineral. I still say it's hematite.

Originally Posted by Hypoman

The pictures provided lack the "flaky" look of that mineral. I still say it's hematite.

This mineral does not always look like this. Sometimes it does have a less flaky look with that being said I agree that it could also be hematite. Hematite is not often magnetic, but this gets easily confused with Magnetite which is always magnetic. Hypo after further review I agree with you and am 95% positive that it is hematite as well.