1515Art 59 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 I spent a few days poking around the desert with the 7000 dodging a plague of hot rocks and hit a sweet signal on a hill top uncovering what I figured to be another chunk of desert varnished basalt on first impression? Dusting it off a little I wasn’t really sure just what it was so stuck it in my back pocket for a closer look later for if nothing else to better understand for next time. cleaning it up and looking closer, I’m really not sure? It’s about the size of a brownie and much too heavy for my 100g scale, it’s mildly magnetic, hard, dense, heavy, has no streak, easily takes a fine polish on fine grit stones, has what looks like a thin fusion crust, evidence of thermal shock and the exterior appears rounded/melted. I’ve looked through my books and past threads here and gone back and forth a dozen times of throw it in the pile or...????? this shows the polished window in this angle pictured together the polished window and natural fractured edges as found and a few more close up pictures Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DarkSilicate 27 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Could be but, a couple things that I would expect to see on a piece that size are regmaglypts and flow lines. Also don't see metal but on some you wouldn't. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bedrock Bob 4,229 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 If it is slightly magnetic it has iron in it. All that is required is to find out what state that iron is in. It is either free metallic iron or it is in chemical form. If it is in chemical form it is terrestrial. If it does not have free metallic iron and it is even slightly magnetic you don't have a meteorite. It should reveal a streak color or you should be able to see some metal flecks...one or the other. There is just no other way for a stone to be magnetic. Keep looking for metal and/or streak. One or the other observation is errant. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardtimehermit 526 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 If you can slice it, or grind a corner so we can get a better look at what's going on under the hood. Hope for some small metal flakes inside the stone. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Morlock 1,801 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 (edited) I'm no expert but I would have thrown that in the pile. Doesn't have most of the meteorite characteristics I'm familiar with. I can understand why you think it has potential though. Edited March 9 by Morlock 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mikestang 935 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Looks like a desert varnished earth rock to me from the picts. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
1515Art 59 Posted March 9 Author Share Posted March 9 (edited) OK, thanks everyone for taking a look and taking the time to comment. My initial inclination was to Chuck-it the fractures in the desert varnish were the thing that was confusing so I appreciate the more experienced eye on this rock. I’ve been finding little typical Gold Basin specimens regularly they are fairly easy to distinguish from the surrounding earthly neighbors because of the free visible metal visible creating a window, these are a few recent finds. Edited March 9 by 1515Art 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mikestang 935 Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 Yea you should see that same metal in the subject rock if it were a meteorite, but I'm not seeing any metal flake in the part you sanded down. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.