Erica Molina
El Paso Times
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Photos by Victor Calzada / El Paso Times Stanton James uses a flashlight to show the translucence of a rock he has had analyzed in an effort to find its origins. |
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| Stanton James is searching for the origin of two rocks he bought about three years ago from a man for $5. |
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"You could see these and just walk right past them," James said.
But once the lights are out, the muffin-shaped rocks can show what makes them special. A flashlight held up to one end will make the rocks light up like small lamps. A black light reveals spots on them that glow green and then fade slowly after the light is turned off.
Although James has turned to experts for help in figuring out whether the rocks are some kind of fossilized organism, he has only been able to find out that they are are made of silica -- a commonly found mineral. He thinks that silica could have replaced the organism.
After James asked for help from the public in October 2003 in figuring out what the rocks could be, several people contacted him who were concerned for his safety.
"They thought they might be radioactive," James said.
A test with a Geiger counter showed they were safe.
He approached professors at the University of Texas at El Paso last spring to get their opinions on his specimens. They ran a test that determined the rocks were made of silica.
But James wants to know more. He suspects the rocks might have once been living, judging by their similarities in appearance. He has not yet found a scientist who agrees with that theory.
He even wrote to the Smithsonian Institution, asking for any help they could give. The response he got was an idea of what they could be made of -- silica -- but he was told experts there needed details about where the rocks came from to answer with more certainty what the specimens could be.
"Part of our problem is Mr. James doesn't know where these came from. If we knew where they came from, we could look at the area and figure things out," said William Cornell, a geology professor at UTEP. "Since we have no idea, we're kind of stuck. There's not much we can do to identify them."
James bought the rocks for $5 about about three years ago from a man in Chaparral, N.M., but James doesn't know where the man got them, nor does he know where the man lives. He said that at this point he is fairly sure the rocks are not organic in origin.
James hopes someone might recognize his rocks as similar to rocks that other people might have in their private collections.
"If they're out there hiking in the mountains and think they see a rock with this profile shape, please don't disturb it," he said. "Note it's location and notify a member of the scientific community."
He said that determining the origin of the rocks could mean great things for El Paso.
"After three years of asking and three years of looking, I'm convinced" this is something new, James said.
Erica Molina may be reached at emolina@elpasotimes.com; 546-6132.
