I think I’ve found my first Meteorite?

[Budgie b 25]

Hi to all! Newbie here from NSW Australia, I’m a farmer Who does a lot of land leveling of fields plus construction of irrigation channels and reservoirs,  I’m always on the lookout for interesting and unusual things! And I found this rock about A year ago and from the research I’ve done on the web am now convinced it’s a Chondrite Meteorite? My friends all laugh at me when I mention it so I would love to have the last laugh one day so to speak! I showed this on a fossil forum that I’m in last week and a couple peeps did agree with me that it looks like a Meteorite so I just wanted to share with y’all and would appreciate everyone’s thoughts? 

It weighs 380grams is very hard! A normal  grinder hardly marked it when I ground the window so had to polish it with a diamond sharpening stone

[DolanDave 677]

Sure looks like one to me.... congrats Budgie..

Dave

[Nakhladog 12]

Looks legit!

[Relichunter2016 699]

Sweet....

[Strapped 205]

Congrats Budgie!

 

[hardtimehermit 482]

Hot dog Budgie B, looks like you might just get that last laugh, looks pretty good to me. 

[billpeters 358]

Budgie,

That's a great looking rock! That is exactly what field meteorites look like. It looks like an H Chondrite. You will need to get it professionally confirmed by . I would suggest if confirmed that you submit it to the Meteoritical Bulletin. Please note that meteorites frequently shatter and land in strewnfields covering 2 to 10 mils or so. Keep looking for more, often smaller fragments.

Billpeters

[Morlock 1,553]

Sure looks like one to me. Congrats. If I were you I'd go back there and see if there's any more. You may have to spend a lot of time looking.

[Budgie b 25]

7 hours ago, hardtimehermit said:

Hot dog Budgie B, looks like you might just get that last laugh, looks pretty good to me. 

It’s looking a little that way hardtimehermit, thanks for the thumbs up lol

[Budgie b 25]

6 hours ago, billpeters said:

Budgie,

That's a great looking rock! That is exactly what field meteorites look like. It looks like an H Chondrite. You will need to get it professionally confirmed by . I would suggest if confirmed that you submit it to the Meteoritical Bulletin. Please note that meteorites frequently shatter and land in strewnfields covering 2 to 10 mils or so. Keep looking for more, often smaller fragments.

Billpeters

Thanks for your advice Billpeters, just wondering if it’s worth the cost to get Meteorites confirmed? I had seen somewhere that it costs about $400 USD to get them tested! Here in Australia!  And im not sure if it’s even worth  400 to start with? 

And yes I definitely have the meteorite bug and havn’t stoped looking in that Area! 

[Budgie b 25]

49 minutes ago, Morlock said:

Sure looks like one to me. Congrats. If I were you I'd go back there and see if there's any more. You may have to spend a lot of time looking.

Thanks Morlock!! I spend a lot of time in the same area as I live there and never stop looking lol.. must have picked up 20 rocks today alone, even look for them now in my dreams😂 wife thinks I’m going mad ha ha 

[Budgie b 25]

Thanks for the thumbs up everyone! It’s very addictive to be out rock hunting

[fredmason 1,133]

BUdgie

go or call Bathurst Observatory ask for Ray Pickard...or email

info@bathhurstobservatory

He can give you some info and may classify the meteorite for...

definitely a meteorite!

fred

[billpeters 358]

Budgie,

It is free at Arizona State University, but they stopped taking samples after the show "Meteorite Men" aired because they were overwhelmed with  meteor-wrongs. I could get Lawrence Garvie, lgarvie@asu.edu (480) 965-3361; Center for Meteorite Studies Arizona State University, Physical Sciences C-137 TEMPE, AZ 85287 USA to test yours since it is so convincing. He would ship it back for free. However, I would first explore options in Australia as there may be export issues. 

Cheers!

billpeters

[Mikestang 871]

Well found, Budgie, and great pictures.  For sure a chondrite, congrats!

[Regmaglitch 102]

Nice find!

[fredmason 1,133]

No need to get involved in the Queens export rules...Ray is qualified and knows and lives with the land of Oz...

fred

[Budgie b 25]

8 hours ago, Mikestang said:

Well found, Budgie, and great pictures.  For sure a chondrite, congrats!

Thanks Mike, I had to compress the photos down from the originals, so quality is lacking a little! but I’ve been very happy with the green light response from everyone! 

[Budgie b 25]

10 hours ago, billpeters said:

Budgie,

It is free at Arizona State University, but they stopped taking samples after the show "Meteorite Men" aired because they were overwhelmed with  meteor-wrongs. I could get Lawrence Garvie, lgarvie@asu.edu (480) 965-3361; Center for Meteorite Studies Arizona State University, Physical Sciences C-137 TEMPE, AZ 85287 USA to test yours since it is so convincing. He would ship it back for free. However, I would first explore options in Australia as there may be export issues. 

Cheers!

billpeters

Thanks for all your info Bill, I will try the local guys that Fred recommended and let y’all know how I go! 

cheers

[Budgie b 25]

4 hours ago, fredmason said:

No need to get involved in the Queens export rules...Ray is qualified and knows and lives with the land of Oz...

fred

Thanks for the help and the contact Fred, I will shoot Ray an email and let you know about the outcome 

Budgie 

[WillM 68]

The radial flow patterns and glypted faces suggest it is a meteorite.

[Morlock 1,553]

While I can indentify meteorites at times, I'm certainly no expert. I don't think anyone can answer this question with any certainty... but what are the odds of a meteorite this size being a single fall?  Just seems so unlikely it's the only one in the area. 

Budgie  b....just out of curiosity, was this buried or on the surface? Just from the looks I'd say it was a surface find but you stated you level fields.

[fredmason 1,133]

Morlock;

the one I found in Oz was all alone, trust me I looked for more....

It may be that no one has really searched for more, or, someone else already picked up the easy ones...

If that is not a meteorite I will certainly be amazed...

I have posted this before...but, this is my Oz stone

fred

[Budgie b 25]

Hi 

4 hours ago, Morlock said:

While I can indentify meteorites at times, I'm certainly no expert. I don't think anyone can answer this question with any certainty... but what are the odds of a meteorite this size being a single fall?  Just seems so unlikely it's the only one in the area. 

Budgie  b....just out of curiosity, was this buried or on the surface? Just from the looks I'd say it was a surface find but you stated you level fields.

Morlock, 

It was a surface find! I live on 12,000acers of black soil treeless floodplane with only a very small amount of rocks! and thought at first it was a Old Artifact, I knew nothing about Meteorites at the time but knew there was something different about it so kept it. And after looking at it for a couple months realised that it might be a Meteorite? 

I guarantee you at least 50 people would have walked over this rock and looked at it over the years probably more!!  And still after me bringing it to their attn they look at you with total disbelief lol.. it’s almost as if you’re talking about sighting an Alian to them. 

I totally believe like you, that there is probably more of them and have thought about all sorts of ways to find them!! Even attaching large magnets to farm equipment has crossed my mind!  But I also really need to purchase a metal detector to start looking. 

I’m lucky in that I’ve got access to over 100,000 acres of similar farming country with people who trust me, so who knows what could be out there.. 

I’ve had a fascination with meteorites after watching a show on tv when I was only about 15  and to hold one in my hand is a very addictive and satisfying feeling! And believe me the hunt isn’t over yet!! 

I’ve contacted a couple people that are very experienced with meteorites and they agree like us that it looks very much like the real deal but want to know exact location?? Mmm I’m not cool with that at this point. 

They also want a third of my rock to keep! in order to identify it? I’m not compatible with them hacking it up... as I love it’s shape and don’t want to loose it’s origanl appearance..  

[Budgie b 25]

4 hours ago, fredmason said:

Morlock;

the one I found in Oz was all alone, trust me I looked for more....

It may be that no one has really searched for more, or, someone else already picked up the easy ones...

If that is not a meteorite I will certainly be amazed...

I have posted this before...but, this is my Oz stone

fred

Hi Fred 

thanks for sharing! Love the flow lines in first pic, what area of Oz did you find it? 

And no one has been in my area looking for Meteorites and probably have them for door stops and think it’s just a rock lol 

I do however know of a farmer friend of mine about 15miles away from me, who had a crater appear in one of his fields and dug down with a bulldozer looking for a Meteorite 40 years ago!! He said they found nothing but he still won’t show me the location lol.