Is this a meteorite?

T

treasurekeeper

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Sep 1, 2012
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Must be 99% that do stick to a magnet.

Get a ceramic mug thats got a red unglazed bottom and do a scratch test. Black/grey indicates magnetite, red/brown indicates hematite. For meteorites there should be no streak left. No streak is where you would use a file on a corner and check for shiny metal flakes.

This is a general guide and whatever results anyone gets I would suggest they hold on to it until they get an expert to have a look.
 

Thanks for the reply, Brian.

There are no streaks on scratching against the back of a ceramic tile.

Since I don't have access to a metal file immediately, I tried rubbing it against ordinary sandpaper, but the rock does not seem to be affected at all.
 

Do a "nickel" test. Google up the nickel test and follow the info. Probably a good idea to keep the test kit handy if you are looking for meteorites often. Testing for nickel is the best test to use for identifying rocks as meteorites. Nickel/iron rocks are so rare on earth that it is considered the best way to check for meteorites (a positive result means probably extraterrestrial). TTC
 

... and welcome to the Net! TTC
 

There have been many recent reports of fireballs/bolides. Check this website to see if there has been a local sighting in your area. The ones that produce rocks are mostly when there is witnessed fragmentation and/or sonic booms. Also, if anyone in your area has reported a whizzing or whistling sound, get the metal detector out and start hunting immediately.

http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/

Jim
 

Thanks TerryC!

I'll try to do the nickel test soon.

@sciflyer25, the nearest report of a sighting around the date on which I found the rock is more than a thousand miles away (I'm in Chennai, India).
(and from what little I know, the Perseids don't fall to Earth.)


Like I mentioned earlier, the piece is not even slightly magnetic. On the chance that it might be slag, wouldn't all slag be magnetic?


I'd also like to clarify that in this photo: http://i45.tinypic.com/2eok29s.jpg, the black colored 'holes' on each side are not really holes.
They are tarry and only indented lightly, and are likely an indication of the inside of the rock.
Till I can file a window on the rock, does this black 'window' help with the diagnosis?
 

Your rock is unlikely to be a meteorite, even though you found it on the roof. Had it struck your roof, you would have remembered the sound. Or, your neighbors would have remembered the sound and have commented about it to you.

A file creating a "window" into the stone would only allow you to see if metal was present: this does not look at all metallic, and your lack of magnetic attraction speaks to no metal content as well.

Yes, there are some VERY RARE non-metallic meteorites. The Washougal (WA) Meteorite is one of these. Try looking it up on the Internet. But I do not believe your stone is one of these non-metallic meteorites. The Washougal Meteorite was seen and heard by several thousand people.
 

The word "slag" is a common term not always associated with iron. A friend of mine found a metallic "rock" in his backyard. We both were excited to think it was a meteorite. It was not magnetic. We took it to work, the Kennedy Space Center. It was VERY difficult to cut with the plasma cutter. They were scratching their heads. They put it in the machine that sampled the molecules it gave off. They found it to be almost pure chromium "slag" (rats!). So, the point being, slag is not always iron. Take care. TTC
 

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8th Micrometeorite in Kugers paydirt

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