Meteorite

[Wally69]

Meteorite ????????

All metal but not magnetic

 

[headbut]

Hi Wally , No.........All meteorites are magnetic , iron nickel .If that was, it would snap to a magnet in a flash. Maybe some sort of slag

Cheers Paul

 

[Bushranger]

I've got one that is metallic and magnetic.

 

[user 1769]

Carbonaceous meteorites are neither metallic nor magnetic.

Maybe you have a piece of red hematite?

 

[BumbleB]

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/img/member-images/1916/1387441101_image.jpg

Meteorite ????????

All metal but not magnetic

Hi Wally- I'm not 100% what that would be, but it does look identical to what I figured was slagg that I found up Clermont way some months back. I was detecting thu the scrub & came across a VERY old camp site that had obviously been used for some sort of smelting- big fire pits & makeshift drums & cooking area, remnants of lean-to sleeping area etc etc. That stuff was scattered all around in very large chucks. The detector was ever so slightly reactive to some of them. I spend some time smashing a few of them against each other in an attempt to figure out what they were- I came to the conclusion that that it was slagg. So I recon thats what you have got mate.

 

[Wally69]

I had not thought of slag, it is solid metal, very heavy and looks like it has been sitting in pilbara red dirt for a couple of thousand years, the metal is your typical shiny grey and is a fraction of a millimeter under the red shiny surface, no rust, very dense, no inclusions, maybe pure iron....?????

Gina has a couple of billion bucks of iron ore in the ground a couple of hundred k's north of where I found this one, but thought iron ore had a high level of impurities.

The shiny surface and lack of oxidation is what drew me to thinking meteorite.....the lack of magnetism....we'll I just do not know...

 

[headbut]

Meteorite Identification:
The Magnet Test

Meteorites are divided into three basic groups: irons, stones, and stony-irons. Practically all meteorites contain a significant amount of extraterrestrial iron and nickel, so the first step in identifying a possible meteorite is the magnet test. Iron and stony-iron meteorites are rich in iron, and will stick to a powerful magnet so strongly that it can be difficult to separate them! Stone meteorites also, for the most part, have a high iron content and a good magnet will happily adhere to them. Many earth rocks will also attract a magnet, so this is not a definitive test, but it's a good step in the right direction. Lunar and Martian meteorites, and most achondrites (stone meteorites without chondrules) contain little or no iron and even a powerful magnet will generally have no effect on them. However, these meteorite types are so extremely rare that, as a general rule, we discount specimens that will not adhere to a magnet.

 

[BumbleB]

Well Wally, given what Headbut just added, I'd be making sure it is not one of those rare babies before you go trying to smash it up- you never never know. My understanding is that WA is a hot-spot for meteorites etc, so check it out. But it does look very similar to the slagg-type stuff I came across.

 

[BumbleB]

Was there alot of it around or by itself? The stuff I found was scattered all over the area- like a ton of it all in very large & small pieces. If it was all on its own in the middle of nowhere, I would be thoroughly investigating the 'rare-baby' chance.

 

[headbut]

The non magnetic type show NO SIGN OF METAL at all & have nil content, this specimen is obviously metalic

 

[Wally69]

It had most of its body poking out of the surface on a sparse ironstone/quartz field. It stood out like dogs-balls to the eye and when I picked it up I had to rub it to check it was not gold.

I will polish up a face an post a picture.

 

[BumbleB]

It had most of its body poking out of the surface on a sparse ironstone/quartz field. It stood out like dogs-balls to the eye and when I picked it up I had to rub it to check it was not gold.

I will polish up a face an post a picture.

LOL, I bet you "puckered-up" when you thought it was gold!
If it ends up being 'nothing', it would be interesting to see how it polished up, or even sliced to see the inside- maybe interesting patterns or something worth displaying.

 

[Wally69]

We'll here it is, a very quick polish on a 1200 diamond lap

Shiny patch is where I polished a small bit with a dremel tool about 8 months ago

 

[BumbleB]

Wally, that does not look like the inside of the stuff I found- that looks solid; if you hadn't said it was not magnetic I would bet the house it was metal. The stuff I found, when smash open, you could see swirls/layer throughout, with colour variations. Mate I don't think its slagg anymore- I've got no idea what it is! Alien terd or testicle????? LOL. Mate see if you can send a pic or two to a geologist, or a University & see what they say. This is a real mystery mate- quite intriguing.......

 

[Wally69]

Took your advice BumbleB, gave to to my mate Clark Kent to have a look, he went into a hot sweat, bent over, curled up and died. 8.(

So I recon I got me some kryptonite :lol:

 

[BumbleB]

Yeah well Kryptonite was my 4th choice......... :lol:

 

[Wally69]

Bit more of a polish and a crack with the toothbrush to get some of the red dirt off.

I see on a geology map that other precious metals are found in that region, anyone know how to do a home SG Test that may put a range on possible metal ...????

 

[Outback]

It's Hematite , not a meteorite .

 

[Wally69]

Thanks Outback, it does look like I have my first hematite specimen. It is amazing what the earth can spit out!!

 

[Outback]

Thanks Outback, it does look like I have my first hematite specimen. It is amazing what the earth can spit out!!

Hi Wally ,

When I first got interested in meteorites about ten years ago I found many similar that fooled me , keep at it & you will find the real thing , Iv'e had two confirmed finds since 2007 .

Cheers
.Outback.