May be a meteorite

[shanegalang]

I found a "rock" with my metal detector. For it's size it is like 5 times heavier than a rock. I began reading different sites about how to tell if it's a meteorite. It seems to be one as far as I can tell except its not magnetic. Also i took a small piece of brass that wouldnt stick to a magnet yet the small piece of brass sticks to this "rock". Has anyone ever seen a metal that has these properties? What could it be? Thanks. I will post pictures tonight when I get to my laptop I am using a hotel PC. The object is about 1 inch X 1 inch X 3/4 in. and weighs 88.8 grams on a digital scale. It has a bit of a black coating. I scrubbed it some with a tooth brush and it glitters a gold color. Thanks for any suggestions.

Updated with pictures:

I reduced the picture size so you can see the brass piece that wont stick to a magnet yet does to this. I have never seen brass attracted to anything. I am stumped.

 

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[shanegalang]

Also whats even more confusing is that metal that DOES stick to a magnet doesn't stick to this, so I guess it's not a magnet. Surely someone has some suggestions? My next move will be to take it to some geological engineers I know at a soil testing company I used to work for. If that doesnt get any results I guess L.S.U will be the next try.

 

[Tuberale]

Don't despair yet, shanegalang. Looks very much like a meteorite to me. A little light perhaps, but still possible.

Need to have you take a carbon-steel file, and file a "window" into the rock at some out-of-the way place. Take a photo of the area exposed. If the area is still black, needs to go a little deeper. This might take 5-10 minutes.

I'm guessing that is visible metal on the outside. It may not be iron though. Could be something like brass or copper, except pure copper or brass would be heavier than a rock, but not nearly heavy enough to be a meteorite.

So let's work through the possibilities a step at a time.

BTW, lodestone (magnetite) can have a positive or negative negativity. Try searching for your state and lodestone to see if there are local deposits near you. It's possible. I can't tell much just from a photo. But it looks to me like you might have an older meteorite. Most are roundish like your stone. Most have been on Earth a few thousand years already, and can "rust" like your stone. A recent meteorite with a fresh fusion crust will look almost like black patent leather.

 

[shanegalang]

Thanks tuberale. The thing is, I live in south Louisiana. No rocks here. Just sand, silt and clay. But every thing I read about meteorites says that if it's not magnetic, it's not a meteorite. I will try to purchase a file like you mention and try that. It even has the "thumb prints" that I read about.

 

[Tuberale]

Thanks tuberale. The thing is, I live in south Louisiana. No rocks here. Just sand, silt and clay. But every thing I read about meteorites says that if it's not magnetic, it's not a meteorite. I will try to purchase a file like you mention and try that. It even has the "thumb prints" that I read about.

Now I'm confused. I thought this came from one of the Great Lakes? But if from a waterway in LA, still the same problem as the feds control all "navigable" waterways.

"Thumb prints" are regmaglympts, and an important feature of meteorites. They are caused by the ablation (friction) or supersonic air against the stone, weathering it into swirl patterns. It's hard for us to understand the processes at work because we're mostly planet-bound, but it is the friction that causes the stone to heat up suddenly and even burn. The burning is what you see in the sky and call a shooting star. Most meteorites stop burning after slowing down in the Earth's atmosphere. Most seem to stop burning at about the same time they stop flying over Mach 1 (the speed of sound). Mach 1 is still pretty fast: about 771 mph, give or take, depending on atmospheric conditions. But in general, the closer a stone gets to sea level, the denser the air and the slower the rock drops. To a meteorite, the Earth's atmosphere is a big waterbed cushion ... except the waterbed is actually water vapor in the air.

I have seen several sandstone and volcanic rocks which also look like they are covered in regmaglympts. So that feature alone is not enough to confirm a meteorite.

Once high metal content is confirmed, the next step is the presence of nickel.

But that still doesn't confirm a meteorite. There are lots of things floating around the Earth that are metallic but not extraterrestrial: satellites. Until recently I thought space debris was just as valuable as meteorites. But not so! They still legally belong to whomever made them according to international law. The good news is if you are hit or damaged by a piece of space debris, the corporation that "owns" it is also responsible for damages!

 

[shanegalang]

Wasn't found in a waterway. I took it to a Geologist at a soil testing company I used to work for. She feels there is a chance it is a meteorite. She is going to take it to the Geologist at L.S.U to test a sample then let me know. I agree that even if not a meteorite it is not native at all to where it was found and will be a really cool find all the same. I'll post when I've found out more.

 

[TerryC]

Hi Shane. The piece of brass you say is sticking (attracted) to the rock cannot be only brass. It must have an iron component in it to be attracted to the rock. Perform the simle nickle test on the rock. A nickle/iron combo in a terrestrial rock is so RARE, it is THE test to use to before others on a suspected celestial "gift". (BTW, your pics are promissing) TTC

 

[shanegalang]

Thanks Terry. The piece of brass wont stick to a regular strong magnet! But it does to this. I've never seen anything in my life like it. Hope to find out more soon. Oh and for what it's worth it rings in as a nickel/ pull tab on my Cortes.

 

[Tuberale]

Here's another field test for you. Hit the rock with a metal object lightly: a light hammer or similar. If it rings like a bell ... it could be either a bell or a meteorite.

 

[shanegalang]

Heard back from the Geologist today, she never took the rock to LSU. She did do some type of acid test?? And scraped it across a piece of paper and is convinced it is NOT a meteorite But still a very odd chunk of something that shouldn't be in a sugar cane field in South Louisiana. She thinks it is Zinc sulfide. Any ideas why that would be where it was? I am open to suggestions, she asked if I wanted to pursue it farther. I said I would come pick it up. What should I do at this point? Could it be part of a satellite? Space Shuttle Columbia?? Thanks for any suggestions, Shane

 

[Tuberale]

According to Wikipedia, zinc sulphide is the most common zinc ore on Earth, and is known as sphalerite. I've always associated sphalerite as a more complex zinc-copper-sulphide ore also called "Peacock Ore" because of the many irridescent colors it give off.

Zinc sulphide is not something that would be associated with a satellite that I am aware of.

Lead sulphide is the most common ore of lead, and is better known as galena. There are substantial deposits of galena near you along the Mississippi River. So it's possible this piece of zinc sulphide also made its way to your location via alluvial (water deposition) processes.