redstreak Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 i was gifted this large and heavy piece and was told it's a gibeon meteor from africa. given these photos, is there any way to confirm this is actually a meteorite? at its widest and longest points it's about 135mm x 75mm and i haven't put it on a scale but it's at least 7 or 8lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Found Dutchman Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 I'm almost certain it's a meteorite just from looking at it. If you wanted to have a slice etched for the widmanstatten pattern, that would confirm it 100%.http://www.arizonaskiesmeteorites.com/Widmanstatten/http://www.meteorlab.com/METEORLAB2001dev/widpatrn.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstreak Posted January 6, 2014 Author Share Posted January 6, 2014 I'm almost certain it's a meteorite just from looking at it. If you wanted to have a slice etched for the widmanstatten pattern, that would confirm it 100%.http://www.arizonaskiesmeteorites.com/Widmanstatten/http://www.meteorlab.com/METEORLAB2001dev/widpatrn.htmthat's beautiful! can you suggest a good source for having it sliced? would cutting it reduce any value it might have for a collector? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Found Dutchman Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 that's beautiful! can you suggest a good source for having it sliced? would cutting it reduce any value it might have for a collector?No, I can't but am sure others will chime in. Lots of things to consider before having this done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
connorp Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Not sure if it is a Gibeon, but definitely appears to be an iron meteorite. A widmanstatten pattern would be the only true way to confirm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Looks like it could also be a Canyon Diablo, like connorp said the W. pattern would help you figure it out, but you'd have to cut it. It's a very nice looking iron, not sure if I would cut it were it mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Found Dutchman Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Looks like it could also be a Canyon Diablo, like connorp said the W. pattern would help you figure it out, but you'd have to cut it. It's a very nice looking iron, not sure if I would cut it were it mine. I agree with Mike on this. That is one pretty meteorite. But if you still want to have it cut, try this place.http://montanameteoritelab.com/index.htmYou would still need to have the pieces etched. Here's an article that explains it.http://www.meteorite-times.com/articles/etching-iron-meteorites/If you decide to have the etching done, I'm sure someone from Montana Meteorite Lab could recommend someone if they don't do it themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstreak Posted January 7, 2014 Author Share Posted January 7, 2014 (edited) thanks for the feedback folks, it helps a lot. i'm not sure i want to cut it if the only purpose would be to reveal the w pattern. it seems to me that keeping it intact would be better in terms of preserving aethestic and collector value of this piece. i plan to keep it but if i ever did decide to give it up, i'd hate to ruin it for someone else.how could i put a value on it? Edited January 7, 2014 by redstreak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Found Dutchman Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 That's a pretty neat looking piece and I wouldn't sell it for less then $1.50 per gram. imho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 Here's a 790g Canyon Diablo I own for comparison, my "alien potato", the surface looks very similar to yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstreak Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 mike - are the lighter colored spots in the indentations rust? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikestang Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Yup, I was assuming that they were rust spots in your photo, too. It was one of the things that made me think of Canyon Diablo when I saw yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redstreak Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 Yup, I was assuming that they were rust spots in your photo, too. It was one of the things that made me think of Canyon Diablo when I saw yours.yes, mine also has similar looking rust like spots on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandsurf Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hello,I,m from NAMIBIA and the place where the GIBEON finds came from is about 450 km from my place. Look at this links. Lots of interesting facts.http://www.mme.gov.na/gsn/posters/geological-attractions/meteorites.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regmaglitch Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 It could also be a Campo De Cielo. I have seen many that looked like that. With no bill of sale, Identificationcard, or certificate of authenticity from the seller, there is no provenance, which changes it from a specific,known, classified type. Should you cut it to find out which one it is? That's a tough call after you comparethe prices of Campos, Canyon Diablos, Gibeons, and a few others. It IS very pretty as is. Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandsurf Posted January 18, 2015 Share Posted January 18, 2015 More links to the gibeon meteorites in Namibia.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gibeon_Meteorite_Plaza.jpghttp://www.meteoritemarket.com/GNinfo.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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