garimpo Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Well here goes, don't know anything about meteorites but have found what I think is a good possibility. A couple of years ago a guy brought one about the size of a fist and one about the size of 5 gal. bucket here by the house. They were both very heavy, we finally got the small one cut and I had the pieces checked by the Geology lab at the University of Okla. and they said they were meteorites. The buy would never say where they came from. Just last week I mentioned this to another prospector who know the region very well and he thought he knew, so we went there and here's what we found. The big one is still in the hole that somebody had started, a lot of other almost holes where I think they started and stopped. I estimate the big one to weigh better than 1/2 ton. The two smaller one here I brought home and managed to cut a piece off on of them. The smaller one (I cut it) weights 2.27 lbs. and the larger one weights 4.65 lbs. Would like some feed back please. More about these on the gold nugget forum under sharing finds, post #2131-2138-2139-2143 Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted February 5, 2007 Author Share Posted February 5, 2007 Here's the small one with a piece cut off of the end. Tried a hack saw, hardly touched it, had to use a "chop saw". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larense Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Hola garimpo. We don`t know if this is a coincidence but have a lok at this link . There is a quite similar weathered iron named Uruaco . Saludos, larense http://www.spacerocksinc.com/January_25.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlakMagnet Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Garimpo, I don't think that's a coincendence. I think you're on to something big here (pun intended) :luck: . There are a bunch of really knowledgable people here, in fact they're all probably out in the field...they're pretty serious about their meteorite hunting... :feedback: It's going to be interesting to see what they have to say. (fingers crossed), Flak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Hunter Man Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hi, I would have to say it sure looks like one to me. the shock lines and the exterior sure looks meteoritc to me. I would poish and etch it. If you would like to send one of those little slivers, I would polish and etch it for you with 10% nitric acid then post a photo of the etch, Or I might be able to send you a little of the acid so you can etch it. Good Luck, Happy Hunting, Joe Kerchner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micro Nugget Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Garimpo: Much of the chitchat on this forum is about our weekly, monthly finds, etc. But that big cahuna that you found could shake the meteorite world like Mel Fisher's discoveries knocked the bejeezuz out of the treasure hunting world. I, for one, am going to down a little JW Black Label just to settle my vicarious excitement and as a salute to one heck of a dude down in the jungle. Fantastic!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlakMagnet Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 (sshhhhh you guys... you've seen what happens in Brazil when someone finds something worthy... :1zhelp:) Seriously Garimpo I think Micro Nugget is right, you may have found 'the big one'. I hope so... :yourock: Flak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallasite alex Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 my guess is hexahedrite? but dude if the crater is 1/2 a mile dia maybe you've found the next hoba or smth!!!! :angry-smiley-010: have a look on http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/impacteffects/ maybe you can guess how big it should be? intresting to know how it'll work out, best of luck Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Mr Hunter Man, thanks for the offer, if I can find a suitable saw I'll send you a piece of "the rock" to analyze. What ever you do, don't try shipping acid in any form unless your licensed to do so. Here in Brazil acid is controlled like dynamite is there. Hi Rex, I estimate the crater(?) from rim to rim to be about a 1/4 mile. and darn sure deep, maybe 800-1,000 feet. The area is a three mile up hill climb through jungle type terrain. About 3/4 of the way up I was hoping for a quick heart attack to end the pain. Flak ole buddy, start pumping iron, we may have to carry this thing down the mountain, just a short three miles, to flat to roll. Micro Nugget, JWBL? To each his own way of relaxing, me I just down a Viagra Blue and go to town. Now that the :bs: has run it's course, does anybody have the vaguest idea what something like that would be worth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Shooter Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hi Don, Try an etch... Polish the surface of your cut to as close as you can to mirror finish...Then got to Ruben's thread about etching or to his website for the exact procedure... Other than a assay for nickle content it is one of the only sure ways for us amatures to get a quick answer. If it shows an etch it is definately a iron meteorite, then classification would be next to see if it does indeed pair with any known irons from your area (if any) Looks good my friend! Heck perhaps you will get to go down in history.... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hi Garimpo: Congratulations. :whoopie: :wubu: Sure looks like a great find to me and I'm 95% sure they're genuine meteorites. My guess on value would be in the range of $.50 - $1.00 per gram but it also depends on the quantity. I'm certainly no expert but that's a general area for the price of irons. There could also be something really unique about it that might make it more valuable. :twocents: :feedback: Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Oh Bill, remember your talking to dumb on dumb here............. what is an "etch"? How would I know it if it has one? Sorry but who is Ruben and where is his website? WHEW!! Goldfinger, at $1.00 per gr and it weighs 500 kg the price would be greater than the Bush budget. darn..............then I could afford a new GP4000 Below is a rock I had analyzed two years ago and I think from the same spot............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Micro Nugget Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Honkers like that get names. Have you thought of a good one yet? Any suggestions from those of us who'd like to contribute in some way short of being there to help pull that monster out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Micro Nugget, as you might suspect, anything you do here has a lot of issues to confront first. I guess first I need to have a test done so I'm sending a piece to Bill Southern to have it analyzed. Then there's the ranch owner that's not exactly friendly, he wants money up front, can't blame him a bit. I think there's probably been about half a dozen stolen from there already and knowing how things work here he probably didn't get one cent out of it. Here's the new pics after I just finished filing the cut surface. Don't know what to look for, hope you can make out the cracks and crevices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlakMagnet Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Garimpo, What would "the skunk has vanished" sound like in Portuguese? BOING! School's in... Here comes a whole new education. Flak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted February 6, 2007 Author Share Posted February 6, 2007 Flak, it would be something like this.............."gamba sumir" (skunk vanished). WHEW.................time for recess? I always made A+ in recess!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regmaglitch Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Hi Garimpo, Those are some beautiful irons! They're especially exciting because I've just seen some new irons being shown off by meteorite dealers while we were at the big Tucson show this weekend. You've definately got a winner there. Promise to sell me a little piece for my collection! Congratulations, Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted February 7, 2007 Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 Hi Ben, glad you jumped in here with both feet. I'm going to do some more polishing on the little one above and see how it comes out. All I have to work with here is a electric drill and sanding disc. You want a piece of the "rock"? Sure is 1 kilo to small? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Don: Let us know how it all turns out. :feedback: Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted February 7, 2007 Author Share Posted February 7, 2007 Steve, you can bet I will................ did more polishing on the rock this morning.............almost antique way to do it here............electric drill with a sanding disc............grit 125.......... at least now I see my reflection on the polished surface..........scary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B. Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Hi Garimpo and All Those are nice and probably space rocks :innocent0002: . I can't imagine what lumps of iron like that would be scrap iron :hmmmmmm: ?? What you will have to do before ruining any more of the material :Huh_anim]: . Take a gram sized piece and have an assay preformed for Nickle. It will have to be at least 4% before any american labs will expend energy on it :confused0013: . If the assay is 4% or higher I don't know of any labs in Brazil but there are a number of them in the states !! They will need a piece of at least 20 grams for testing and the find site location !! The reason they will need the location is so they aren't testing already tested material :POsmiley01: !! As far as etching goes I have I've also done it and the patterns are interesting but it will still require a lab to classify it or they have little value :broke: ?? Garimpo I know it's the rainy season over there and I hope there are other things that a brazilian nugget hunter can do than sit there sawing and grinding on a potential new meteorite find and degrading it value by ruining it's collector value !! I know you really enjoy seeing sparks fly from chop saws and your drill grinder setup :zapped: !! But let me remind you that nickle is very toxic if inhaled or swollowed kinda like lead but worse and all the value ruining your doing to those possible meteorite specimens may be lotsa fun now :whoopie: !! But stupid in the long run and detrimental to you and your families health and those rocks dollar or peso value. !! But hey what the heck do I know :shrug: ??? If you wish to have the address to some labs for classifying them get an assey and pm me and I'll give you addresses and contacts that will classify them :icon1: . You can send them directly to the University and your secret is safe with them :innocent0002: . That's my :twocents: or pesos !! If you really can't stop grinding and ruining those possible space rocks at least get yourself a respirator and becareful shaking out your clothes at home :sick0026: !! Happy Huntin John B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallasite alex Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 garimpo, if the analysis of the rocks you had done 2 years ago are from where you found the other stuff it should be a space rock, from what i've read if it's 5%wt nickels that kamacite?http://www.nuggetshooter.ipbhost.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=7327 there is a nickel test i've read of...... found it http://meteorites.wustl.edu/id/metal.htm should be cheap and easy for anything you find out there. i don't know what the law is in brazil but here in aus it's illegal to export them without a permit...wish i had smth to export. do you think the farmer there will want a stake in the rock? alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B. Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Hi All Ok so you buy one of those useless NI test kits that react at a couple parts per billion and it turns red then you use a 10% nitric acid to 90% alcohol and it etches a pattern :shrug: !! You still have lumps of iron that are meteorites but instead of having a meteorite with a name and pedigree worth decent money you have a brazilian type of NWA ( North West africa) hardly worth the price of shipping :broke: !! Because there's no specifics and no official classification :confused0013: !! Keep on grinding :POsmiley01: !! Geeze Garimpo would you grind up nuggets like that ?? It just might have a gram value comparable to gold :angry-smiley-010: ?? Happy Huntin John B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Hunter Man Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 an etch will show you the grain size, wether it is a coarse, fine coarsest or ataxite, what ever it is the widmanstatten pattern will show it after being etched with nitric acid, this will tell you 100% sure that it is a meteorite. Thanks, Joe kerchner illinoismeteorites.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garimpo Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 John B., glad you spoke up, from what I gather your the resident meteorite guru here in the forum so I indeed will listen. The "chop saw" was the only instrument available here to cut the stone with, two years ago I could only get one cut with a welding rod which completely destroyed the stone. The polishing I was doing was where the saw did the cut which was not smooth at all. I'm always aware that the thing has a value yet to be determined. I sent a four gr. piece to Bill S. I think he's going to get it tested for being a meteorite. As for the 20 gr. piece, I'll have to fire up the "chop saw" again. :angry-smiley-010: What is the chemical abbreviation for nickel, I'll have a look at the report from two years ago to see what it was. Thanks for the input and help. As for the location, will a GPS coords work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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.