NATHAN B 2 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Hello all, my name is Nathan found this out of the world rock laying on top of the ground couple weeks ago. I mowed grass 3 days before and it wasn’t there this thing has whole lot of characteristics. I don’t know which way to go with getting the rock identified I have emailed to geology professors at Purdue University twice and nothing back. I will post pics let me know what you guys think! I don’t know how to upload images on this forum ether. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 Found out how to upload it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 3,871 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 That is a chunk of roofing tar. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 How so? Not even close! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 3,871 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 It is definitely not meteoritic. That much is certain. It looks nothing like a meteorite in any aspect. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 It is very hard to the point where streak test doesn’t work on ceramic. How can you explain the green crystals the iron balls in the crust that is magnetic in it that if it’s roofing tar?! And obviously entering the earths atmosphere would cause the heating up and Solidifing Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 From research I think it is a lunar meteorite or Marshan black glass. Like I said it wasn’t there 3 days prior I know it doesn’t look like a normal meteorite but i think it can off a monster metor. It’s the heaviest rock I have every picked up up plus it has nodules in it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 3,871 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 4 minutes ago, NATHAN B said: It is very hard to the point where streak test doesn’t work on ceramic. How can you explain the green crystals the iron balls in the crust that is magnetic in it that if it’s roofing tar?! And obviously entering the earths atmosphere would cause the heating up and Solidifing Sounds like you have a winner then. Let us know what they say at Purdue. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 3,871 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 3 minutes ago, NATHAN B said: From research I think it is a lunar meteorite or Marshan black glass. Like I said it wasn’t there 3 days prior I know it doesn’t look like a normal meteorite but i think it can off a monster metor. It’s the heaviest rock I have every picked up up plus it has nodules in it My vote is for Marshan black glass. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 What characteristics would you like me to specify? I can take more pictures if needed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 3,871 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 21 minutes ago, NATHAN B said: What characteristics would you like me to specify? I can take more pictures if needed No thanks. I'm good. Maybe someone else will offer their opinion on it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Idaho Jim 234 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Looks like obsidian to me. Though it does have an interesting surface texture on one side. Jim Quote Link to post Share on other sites
adam 3,114 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 (edited) When they tarred the roof on Shawshank Redemption, they spilled some ? Edited July 16, 2019 by adam Quote Link to post Share on other sites
billpeters 372 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 (edited) Welcome Nathan, You will learn a lot about meteorite characteristics here if you look over the many different posts of suspected meteorites. However, only about 1/500 newbie posts are an actual meteorite. Your rock is a fairly common obsidian-like terrestrial stone, either as a natural obsidian or a common byproduct of man-made slag. Both will normally have many impurities and be somewhat magnetic. Slag byproduct is everywhere across the US and gets mixed in with fill dirt to level ground and occasional larger pieces wind up in people's yards after winter cinders are put down on roads to add traction in snow country. Eventually they get noticed after a rain has washed them off and the Sun shines on them. How your stone ended up where you found it is anybody's guess. It has no characteristics of a meteorite and nothing similar to rocks from the Moon or Mars. It contains standard silicon black glass with impurities. It is still a cool rock though. Thanks for sharing it. Below is pic of an obsidian rock for comparison. Blessings, billpeters Edited July 16, 2019 by billpeters 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LowPoint 1,244 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 I have also found glassy chunks that look like yours that weren't too far from a mine smelter,...they call it slag. Yours looks almost volcanic, as if it had been very hot, molten and had flowed (you can see the flow riffles on it's surface). Molten lava looks like this too. Gary 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 This also has iron pieces at the top where the crust is. Can anyone explain the flow lines. What about tektite? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
billpeters 372 Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Nathan, Iron slag from steel plants in Gary, Indiana; Chicago and many other iron works across the US have been distributed throughout mostly the mid-western states as a cheap byproduct material. Surface flow lines would be common on these materials. It is doubtful there are tektite fall zones in the mid-west where I think you may be from. Your sample is not a tektite. It looks much more like slag. Cheers! billpeters 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mikestang 884 Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 Looks like volcanic glass or slag, 100% not a meteorite of any sort. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Haderly 96 Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 I am betting that it is tar and what you are seeing in it got mixed in from being on the ground. Does it have a smell? Put a torch on it and see what happens. I know someone that collected a bunch of what they thought was obsidian. It was rock hard in the winter but as soon as the Arizona summer hit the rocks started to melt. He had collected a bunch of roofing tar that had been discarded. What he had was identical to what you are showing including the impurities in it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nugget108 1,648 Posted July 17, 2019 Share Posted July 17, 2019 The " flow " on the top resembles the crack filling tar we used when i was in construction. We filled the asphalt cracks with it. Then when it got pealed out, it had the rocks and sand in it that was in the crack. But it never dried hard as a rock either. But hey, it could be a lot of things and i am definitely not a meteorite expert by any means. Good luck to ya! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 17, 2019 Author Share Posted July 17, 2019 This rock is very hard and has little balls of iron not right at the crust but just a little bit below it. Plus on the inside where it’s “black” has small little white dots in it. It’s so hard that a hardened razor blade knife won’t even put a dent on it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Au Seeker 3,089 Posted July 18, 2019 Share Posted July 18, 2019 1 hour ago, NATHAN B said: This rock is very hard and has little balls of iron not right at the crust but just a little bit below it. Plus on the inside where it’s “black” has small little white dots in it. It’s so hard that a hardened razor blade knife won’t even put a dent on it Did you try to expose it to a flame just to satisfy those who thinks it could be roofing tar, we need your help to answer some of our questions as well, since we can't hold it in our hands, see it in person or do any simple tests on it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 18, 2019 Author Share Posted July 18, 2019 Just put flame to it is not roofing tar didn’t even doing anything to rock or soften up. I am glad to do any other test if anyone guides me to what to do test wise and answer questions I am just as curious as you guys what this is!!! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NATHAN B 2 Posted July 18, 2019 Author Share Posted July 18, 2019 And I heated it with a butane torch for the people that are going to ask 🙄 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardtimehermit 498 Posted July 18, 2019 Share Posted July 18, 2019 2 hours ago, NATHAN B said: Just put flame to it is not roofing tar didn’t even doing anything to rock or soften up. I am glad to do any other test if anyone guides me to what to do test wise and answer questions I am just as curious as you guys what this is!!! I would guess after your experiments, you have a chunk of slag, as Billpeters already pointed out. As others have pointed out it is not a meteorite. Now you got the bug, so start the learning process and with some effort you can find a real meteorite. Happy hunting Nathan. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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