Brassy meteorite?

[Maine USA Beachcomber]

Hi
Someone on another threadthought this could be a meteorite. Found it yesterday on the sand among thousands of rocks washed up in a storm.
I have cleaned this beach daily for litter for 5 years & have never seen anything like iit before. Goldish brassy egg shaped. Very heavy. Non magnetic. Smooth w some pitting.

 

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[cactusman]

Non-magnetic? It’s almost certainly not a meteorite. Very cool and unusual find though. Try doing a specific gravity test and see what it comes in at. It could be something melted down many years ago and washed down into a river gravel type shape.

 

[widomanmx]

Maybe Zinc .. mineral

 

[Maine USA Beachcomber]

Thanks for the input. Egg is headed to high school for a density test today if that's the same as a gravity test. I did some other tests too. So far I know:

Brassy metallic color
Tried it on strong magnet but no magnetic pull
Worn smooth w pitting
Dense, much heavier than other rocks
Can't scratch it w a knife
Doesn't scratch a glass bottle
Rubbed it on porcelain and first rubbed dark; then no mark at all
After the porcelain test it showed a gray color (see pic)
Gives off odd smell like old fireworks or gun barrel when rubbed with fingers or on the porcelain - but I can't place the smell
Egg shaped (*many other rocks on the beach are egg-shaped)

Any other guesses are appreciated. Driving me bats.

 

[Maine USA Beachcomber]

Maybe Zinc .. mineral

The hardness throws off any type of zinc, brass or lead etc. I can't scratch it w a knife or scissors.

 

[DDancer]

You have a piece of Arsenopyrite. The streak is correct but the odor you describe is what sets it apart as that is sulfur.
A link to check out: Arsenopyrite: Arsenopyrite mineral information and data.
Not that you will but if you chip it, or break it, it'll have a pretty ruff fracture. Yours has been rolling, gently, around in the surf so hence its shape... like a tumbler... a really gentle tumbler hehh.

 

[Maine USA Beachcomber]

You have a piece of Arsenopyrite. The streak is correct but the odor you describe is what sets it apart as that is sulfur.
A link to check out: Arsenopyrite: Arsenopyrite mineral information and data.
Not that you will but if you chip it, or break it, it'll have a pretty ruff fracture. Yours has been rolling, gently, around in the surf so hence its shape... like a tumbler... a really gentle tumbler hehh.

Well. I'm sure not going to break it. Nope. Wow. Of all the rocks on the beach to find, I pick up the poison one. It doesn't smell like garlic but the rest sure fits. How the heck did one single piece like this get washed up? Poison rock. Go figure. Should I throw it back?

 

[DDancer]

Its safe enough to put in your collection. Some versions of that type of pyrite are very reactive with atmosphere and can smell like garlic ; but seeing as it came out of the ocean your piece is very stable. And a pretty cool find. Typically I would have not expected to see a water worn piece like that as pyrites are very brittle and tend to be demolished by weathering. Just dont scuff it up and keep it away from the kitchen and it'll be fine.

On a side note if you can find a jeweler or pawn shop that has an x-ray spectrometer, its a hand held assay device for checking the content of metals, you might want to have it checked. As durable as that piece is it may have high levels of softer metals. That link to minedat can narrow down the specific pyrite if you know the content of the other metals.

 

[smokeythecat]

It may be arsenopyrite melt. Were there any iron furnaces anywhere around you?

 

[Maine USA Beachcomber]

Its safe enough to put in your collection. Some versions of that type of pyrite are very reactive with atmosphere and can smell like garlic ; but seeing as it came out of the ocean your piece is very stable. And a pretty cool find. Typically I would have not expected to see a water worn piece like that as pyrites are very brittle and tend to be demolished by weathering. Just dont scuff it up and keep it away from the kitchen and it'll be fine.

On a side note if you can find a jeweler or pawn shop that has an x-ray spectrometer, its a hand held assay device for checking the content of metals, you might want to have it checked. As durable as that piece is it may have high levels of softer metals. That link to minedat can narrow down the specific pyrite if you know the content of the other metals.

Thanks so much. I'll look for one w that xray machine. What made you think arsenopyrite? For me it's the gray left behind after the porcelain rub and the hint of it on one spot. It's super hard, when I try to scratch it the knife just slides off. If I find out more from a jeweler etc I'll let you know.

 

[Maine USA Beachcomber]

It may be arsenopyrite melt. Were there any iron furnaces anywhere around you?

No furnaces that I know of but who knows what's upstream from the ocean. This is a great resource for pyrite formation in the ocean -https://uwaterloo.ca/earth-sciences-museum/resources/detailed-rocks-and-minerals-articles/pyrite

 

[DDancer]

When you originally posted I sat back an figured, no its not a meteorite and that your find might just be a random bit of brass. When you posted later with testing results they all added up to what I feel identifies your specimen. The smell after rubbing it for the streak test cinched it. Not many people would mention that but with that material its pretty distinctive.
You did your homework, the testing, and I have had experience with the mineral you tested.
If others would do the home work much like you have some identifications would be as easy. However given only a picture its very difficult to give more than a general identification without the small details.

As to melting Arsenopyrite, or any pyrite, there is no such thing. Heating pyrites destroys them as the sulfites burn away~ a process called roasting~ the material that is left behind is no longer pyrite but a mixture of metals and minerals. Effectively slag unless there are large amounts of metal. Typically silver, gold, lead, iron, arsenic ect.... This usually requires a much more refined assay to separate.

 

[widomanmx]

You say is not magnetic, so, if its dont match Zinc
.. then go for Nickel, mineral
.. i bet is "cold" and heavy (much metal)

The color of oxide can say something, put it partially buried inside a pot with earth
.. wet it constantly with water
.. will take time to show oxide .. sun, air & humidity

 

[Maine USA Beachcomber]

When you originally posted I sat back an figured, no its not a meteorite and that your find might just be a random bit of brass. When you posted later with testing results they all added up to what I feel identifies your specimen. The smell after rubbing it for the streak test cinched it. Not many people would mention that but with that material its pretty distinctive.
You did your homework, the testing, and I have had experience with the mineral you tested.
If others would do the home work much like you have some identifications would be as easy. However given only a picture its very difficult to give more than a general identification without the small details.

As to melting Arsenopyrite, or any pyrite, there is no such thing. Heating pyrites destroys them as the sulfites burn away~ a process called roasting~ the material that is left behind is no longer pyrite but a mixture of metals and minerals. Effectively slag unless there are large amounts of metal. Typically silver, gold, lead, iron, arsenic ect.... This usually requires a much more refined assay to separate.

Still working on this. Can't find a spectrometer. But I did see a reference to pyrite "nodules" here just now - maybe it could explain the shape holding up in the tumbling :Mindat Mineralogy Messageboard
Taking it to a minerology club meeting this weekend. Will let you know.

 

[PennyG]

Any updates on what this might be? Found something similar a few days ago.

 

[Art_Blade]

Stone looks like some a volcanic rock, washed up by water (river) for long time

 

[kcm]

Beautiful piece!!

And great thinking DDancer!

 

[Maine USA Beachcomber]

Just to update - nothing on this yet. Someone suggested it could be an organic or petroleum skin on a rock. Would require destructive testing tho
If it was a skin (like an ocean version of desert varnish, what could be coating the rock?

 

[Art_Blade]

Just look on it a photo gallery of meteorwrongs similar? For 100% is not a meteorite