I have a piece of the rock

Upon further review, I'll go with what I grew up with in Pa. as a large coal region...slag.

Okay!! So Number one is also number three. With a little help I did it! Finally got pictures up.

reply to post by mugger

Show me the inside of coal slag, please. And do you know how much that piece weighs?

I grew up with this stuff on my riverbeds and railroads, can be small to a couple pounds.
I have seen your variation before. My picture is not quite right. Still resembles the man-made type to me.
I have seen it with Obsidian rock also.
Looks like your version has the sandstone mix with it.
img.abovetopsecret.com...

Originally posted by copperhead12
reply to post by copperhead12

 

This is the best looking meteorite-wrong I have ever seen, if it is indeed not meteoritic. Did you say you had a meteorite pro test it for you? It sure looks like ablated fusion crust, especially the large broken end, which looks like the types of meteorites that fracture off at cosmic speed and the exposed area re-melts.. The inside looks like an aubrite.... Are you positive you had this tested by a meteorite dealer? (Look up people on IMCA)

Take a magnet to it. You'll see if any high concentration of metal is present.

If it is meteoritic, it could be a chondrite, but if an aubrite,(very rare) there will be little metal and chondrules, and the magnet test will fail. This needs to be examined by a professional.

reply to post by charlyv

There was a program on TV and they called him Meteorite Man. Can't remember what his name is. Foremost authority they said. I mailed him a chip and he sent me a letter saying it was non magnetic and therefore not a meteorite.Of Course he kept the sample.
It is not magnetic. I have tested it numerous times.
My first thought was that it was a meteorite because all the stones are black and so very heavy.
That 6"x5"x4" chunk weighs 15pounds. and I have lots of it.

reply to post by copperhead12


It's not magnetic.
But are you saying it is way heavier than you'd expect from something that size? Just trying to confirm I'm reading it correctly.

Hi copperhead, finally got the pics up eh

In lieu of me flying over to the states and examining it, I'm going to stick with my original assesment. It is merely silver zinc copper ore. It is a mixture (i.e. not a molecule of the above elements) and therefore does not have a mineralogical name (it is too metallic looking for the sphalerite I originally mentioned). I can see the copper in it myself and the blackness of the crust and the specific gravity tell me the 'silver' component is indeed mainly silver with minor zinc. Also the region you found it in is known for having these deposits in it. I think the dept. of mines assessment is about as accurate as you'll get. Those guys usually know what they're looking at.

It is not a meterorite for as much as everyone is led to believe, very very few meterorites are metallic on the inside and the texture on the outside is wrong. I am also leaning away from coal slag for slag will not have the granular texture on the metallic core that your pics seem to have.

I also find it interesting your meteorite man says because the piece was not magnetic it is not a meteor. Very few meteors are magnetic as far as i know. And most meterorites have a very small iron component to them anyway. Not even most iron ore minerals are magnetic. There are a few other weakly magnetic minerals but as far as I know they are no more likely to end up in a meterorite than any of the non-magnetic ones.

Also I wouldn't expect to get too much for it if you were to sell it for the amount of work needed to get any usable silver out of it would be to expensive on a piece that small. You'd probably make more money selling it as an interesting rock specimen than you would for the silver content.

reply to post by webpirate

One "expert" said it was weakly magnetic and pronounced it hematite. I tried an earth magnet on it and the magnet fell off. I have tried numerous magnets on it.
And yes, a 6x5x4" chunk weighs 15 pounds. That was on the bathroom scale and who knows but it has to be nearly close. I set a ten pound bag of sugar on it and it registered 9 pounds. So I would say it is pretty close.

Does it look like this?

reply to post by 1littlewolf

Thank you for the info, Little Wolf. One rock wouldn't pay to sell but-but-but Uh. I have nearly 2 tons of this stuff.

reply to post by webpirate


Looks sort of like that but have never broke one open. It is hard enough just to chip a little off the edge of one. What is that you are showing?

Originally posted by copperhead12
reply to post by webpirate

 

One "expert" said it was weakly magnetic and pronounced it hematite. I tried an earth magnet on it and the magnet fell off. I have tried numerous magnets on it.
And yes, a 6x5x4" chunk weighs 15 pounds. That was on the bathroom scale and who knows but it has to be nearly close. I set a ten pound bag of sugar on it and it registered 9 pounds. So I would say it is pretty close.

It is not hematite, I am fairly confident of that. I work with hematite every day. The specific gravity seems a little too heavy. Hematite as a specific gravity of only 5ish in its most pure form, and most ores aren't that pure and usually slightly porous which usually this number down to about 3-4. Also very little red oxides around the crust and the streak is the wrong color. If you can't scratch it with a nail or scissors take a tiny bit of the metallic core and grind it down with a hammer. Hematite streak is a rusty red color, the silver zinc copper ore i mentioned will have (like the dept. of mines said) a dark grey/black color.

If it is weakly magnetic then this will only be able to be picked up with precision instruments, so your magnets at home will have no noticable affects. This probably indicates it has either a very minor amount of chromite or (more likely) iron mixed in their as well, which is quite common in ores such as these. Iron is the fourth most abundant mineral by weight in the Earths crust.

Thank you for the info, Little Wolf. One rock wouldn't pay to sell but-but-but Uh. I have nearly 2 tons of this stuff.

2 tons eh......... that may be a different story. God knows who you'd sell it to though....

reply to post by 1littlewolf

It is not a meterorite for as much as everyone is led to believe, very very few meterorites are metallic on the inside and the texture on the outside is wrong.

That is absolutely not true, it is the other way around. Most meteorites ARE magnetic, and only the rarest do not stick to a magnet. I am an avid collector and have hundreds of them, I ought to know.
While this is probably not a meteorite, and he claims to have sent it to Steve Arnold (still not convinced, since even Steve would never just say it wasn't because it was non-magnetic.) it's characteristics, especially on the outside are as close as you get.


edit: I am an IMCA member, and I am going to forward this to the group and see if any of them want to chime in on what they think, by appearance. I will post what any say, if they care to contribute.

reply to post by copperhead12


OK....you did say it was bright silver on the inside. Most terrestrial rock that is as dense as you say is magnetic.
The best fit I could find for what you described is highly unlikely though. What I posted is elemental chromium. It's dense, non magnetic at normal temperatures, and polishes up to bright silver. And is on the inside too. But it's pretty rare to just find it laying around...

reply to post by charlyv


Completely off topic and inconsequential how I am not a he. Mother of seven children!!! just say'n.
I am having an identity crisis here!