help id rock

[Ruan M 0]

Hi i found this rock in a rock pile and i don't know what it is its attracted very strongly to a magnet ,its not very shiny ,it leaves a light grey streak its density is about 4 . i was looking for meteorites and i found it so i really want to know what this is.

Ruan

[Goldfinger 43]

Try and use this to narrow it down. You've got me stumped on this one.

http://www.mindat.org/advanced_search.php

Steve

[Nugget Shooter 4,614]

I have seen Magnetite specimens similar to that and you did mention a "light grey" streak....

[Ruan M 0]

Try and use this to narrow it down. You've got me stumped on this one.

http://www.mindat.org/advanced_search.php

Steve

hi

thanks for the link its great but i cant find a match its really confusing me too all i know its not common:)

here are some pictures of meteorites that look REALLY similar

Its the nearest thing i could find .

Oh and i ordered a nickel test kit on the internet so i will know in about 5 days if it contains nickel

Do you have ANy suggestion you think it MIGHT be?

Thanks so much

Ruan

[Goldfinger 43]

I have seen Magnetite specimens similar to that and you did mention a "light grey" streak....

All the magnetite I've seen has always given a dark gray to almost black streak. That's what has me somewhat stumped on this one along with the magnetic attraction. I guess there could be other iron minerals mixed in with it to give a light gray streak but I have never seen it before.

Steve

[Goldfinger 43]

hi

thanks for the link its great but i cant find a match its really confusing me too all i know its not common:)

here are some pictures of meteorites that look REALLY similar

Its the nearest thing i could find .

Oh and i ordered a nickel test kit on the internet so i will know in about 5 days if it contains nickel

Do you have ANy suggestion you think it MIGHT be?

Thanks so much

Ruan

Meteorites will not have a streak- at least consistently and it's never gray if it does. Sometimes there's a rusty coating on meteorites that gives the appearance of a streak but it's not a true streak. That rusty coating gives an ochre colored streak. A true streak comes from a freshly exposed surface.

Steve

[Ruan M 0]

Meteorites will not have a streak- at least consistently and it's never gray if it does. Sometimes there's a rusty coating on meteorites that gives the appearance of a streak but it's not a true streak. That rusty coating gives an ochre colored streak. A true streak comes from a freshly exposed surface.

Steve

the streak test is the only test it did not pass with flying colors so id it again and it left a light streak and i did the streak test with just normal iron spoon, knife and they also left a streak i think im doing it to hard because im pressing down pretty hard to get a streak and he streak test is just a very general rule and not reliable , i also think the streak test applys only to iron meteorites right?

[Goldfinger 43]

Meteorites will not leave a streak at all. Sounds like you might be pressing down way to hard when you do these streak tests.

Steve

[Ruan M 0]

Meteorites will not leave a streak at all. Sounds like you might be pressing down way to hard when you do these streak tests.

Steve

yeah i think im doing it was too hard but ive read on lots of web pages saying that lots of meteorites do leave strikes that it is just a very general rule

[Goldfinger 43]

Well- I'm not aware of any that leave a true streak...

Steve

[Ruan M 0]

Well- I'm not aware of any that leave a true streak...

Steve

I'm starting to think it is native iron .

if its not a meteorite:) any opinions?

Here is a pic of native iron

[Desertsunburn 44]

Ruan,

I think you are getting ahead of yourself with the nickle test kit. You've been on most of the forums long enough to know you need to perform the basic tests to determine if you have a meteorite. The nickle test, prior to all the others tests is pretty much a waste of time and money.

The tests are simple. How about showing the results of the basic tests???<_<

Jim

[Ruan M 0]

Ruan,

I think you are getting ahead of yourself with the nickle test kit. You've been on most of the forums long enough to know you need to perform the basic tests to determine if you have a meteorite. The nickle test, prior to all the others tests is pretty much a waste of time and money.

The tests are simple. How about showing the results of the basic tests???<_<

Jim

Hi

I have done the tests

there is no fusion crust( but it could have weathered away )

the shape of it is kinda squarish

It attracts a magnet VERY strongly

I filed away a window as in the pictures I posted

It's density is about 4

I cant see any Chondrules , Thumbprints

I also cant see any rust which is about the determining point that it is not a meteorite , but it attracts a magnet, and a magnet attracts only iron , cobalt and nickel

I don't think its iron because I can see No rust whatsoever

And if its nickel thats evident to a meteorite .

And im just pretty sure its not cobalt because it looks nothing like cobalt .

when I found the 'rock' it was on the surface.

I ordered the nickel test because i just want to know if it has nickel .

I'm just very confused of what i't is?

[Desertsunburn 44]

snip

ordered the nickel test because i just want to know if it has nickel .

I'm just very confused of what i't is?

Ruan, keep in mind many many people have shared their experience with these nickel tests kits in that they often provide false positives.

You can read about them all over the web. So if you get a positive, how are you going to prove it's true as the test has proven inconclusive?

I'll be interested in hearing the final results of your specimen.

Jim

[Ruan M 0]

Ruan, keep in mind many many people have shared their experience with these nickel tests kits in that they often provide false positives.

You can read about them all over the web. So if you get a positive, how are you going to prove it's true as the test has proven inconclusive?

I'll be interested in hearing the final results of your specimen.

Jim

Hi

Iv'e also read that it gives people false signals , but if I understood correctly most of them said that it is almost too sensitive ,

so if it tests negative for nickel then it should contains ZERO amount of nickle .

Iv'e also read on a couple places like, if the pink color fades after 5 minutes then there not enough nickle for meteoritic origin.

But if it doesn't show any nickel then ill be totally stumped , then ill probably take it to a neighbor down our road who collects rocks

and show it to him as he might now more of what type of rocks are in the area.

There's also the Prairie Meteorite Search that comes through here and ill probably take it to them if they ever come by

If all else fails ill have a good meteorwrong , iv'e learned more about meteorites

and of whats a meteorite and a meteorwrong

PS; the nickel test kit should arrive any day now , (it should have been here already but Canada Post is on strike )

Kind Regards

Ruan

[Ruan M 0]

Hi

I just got my test kit and :(((( it has no nickel

now it just got more confusing .

do you guys have any idea of what it MIGHT be ?

I also used the test kit on my sisters earring . it has nickel so I know I was doing it right.

Any other suggestions ,tests more photos ?

Regards

Ruan

[Johnno 64]

Very nice Ruan. Yeah, there's a lot of mysteries out there and they can be very fooling. I was recently on a project in L.A. really nice elderly guy, lots of trinkets hanging around the garden beds and I mean really nice. Lots of good specimens from Jasper, Serpentine, Petrified Wood and really nice petrified wood. A couple took my fancy, this one in particular

Now this is a really cool meteorite wrong. Fusion crust, black as the ace of spades, but his favorite bowling ball. In his hey day, he was a champion and decided to bury this in the border around his garden. I approached him on the unusual rocks in his border and he said before he bought the house, the previous owners worked at UCLA. No direction on that one but a wonderful assortment of geology.

One in particular that I kept going back to was the size of my hand and that sucker was heavy, nothing spectacular.Looked like an ugly piece of basalt but it strongly attracted a magnet. So I asked if I could get a little bit of a chip off it so I could check it out. I kid you not, I wrapped that puppy behind the ears at least 40 times before that sucker gave in.

It is very metallic. I'm venturing towards slag. But then again, it's very unusual. I've never seen slag or industrial waste like this before. Let me give you some ideas, the piece that I held in my hand was the equivalent of 3 house bricks. It is dark gray indicates layering, nothing really special with an observed rock in it's natural state.

Broken open, reveals FUN. There's metallic clasts not blebs. I have rust inclusions but not really rust. I have burnt inclusions but not really burnt. I have bright yellow indicating sulpher, but not really sulpher. A real strange find. But maybe I've had a few more beers than I should have had and could be as common as shite

Cheers

Johnno

[ipraytofindthem 0]

The Canada Post strike has struck us down, man did it hurt us. The companies that pay us do so with posted cheques and they haven't been arriving because of the strike. Anyway I have the same problem ID'ing rocks. I'm always thinking I have found a meteorite when about 99.99% of the time it is a meteowrong. Lately I have been finding the rocks' densities by the bulk density test for meteorites as described by Desertsunburn (Jim) on Youtube. A good indicator density for a an ordinary chondrite meteorite is average 3.21 to 3.40 gram per cubic centimeter. Such a test is not conclusive but it helps in narrowing down the possibility you know by the principle of elimination. See http://meteorites.wustl.edu/id/density.htm

me='Ruan M' timestamp='1307768062' post='154764']

Hi

Iv'e also read that it gives people false signals , but if I understood correctly most of them said that it is almost too sensitive ,

so if it tests negative for nickel then it should contains ZERO amount of nickle .

Iv'e also read on a couple places like, if the pink color fades after 5 minutes then there not enough nickle for meteoritic origin.

But if it doesn't show any nickel then ill be totally stumped , then ill probably take it to a neighbor down our road who collects rocks

and show it to him as he might now more of what type of rocks are in the area.

There's also the Prairie Meteorite Search that comes through here and ill probably take it to them if they ever come by

If all else fails ill have a good meteorwrong , iv'e learned more about meteorites

and of whats a meteorite and a meteorwrong

PS; the nickel test kit should arrive any day now , (it should have been here already but Canada Post is on strike )

Kind Regards

Ruan