Anyone know what this is? It weighs 190 grams and is non magnetic, inside is a shiny silver.
Meteorite?
- Thread starter Bryan53
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Meteorites are pieces of asteroids and other bodies like the moon and Mars that travel through space and fall to the earth...
Do You Think You May Have Found a Meteorite?
Portland State University - Meteorite identification
The mission of our laboratory is to conduct meteorite research to help understand our place in the universe...
About Meteorites
Aerolite Meteorites
A meteorite is a piece of iron, stone, or stony-iron composite that has fallen to Earth from outer space...
How to find out if you have a Meteorite?
Meteorite-Identification.Com
The purpose of this site is to help the visitor better understand elementary identification of the most common meteorites...
Suspect Meteorite Tests
Red-Coat
Gold Member
Welcome to Tnet.
Sometimes it's easier to be sure something is not a meteorite rather than leave uncertainty that it might be. This specimen definitely is not. Any meteorite which has a metallic appearance will always be strongly magnetic and there are no exceptions to this rule. It's because the bulk of the native metal which occurs in meteorites is iron, plus some nickel.
I don't know what your specimen might be from the pictures alone. Is it unusually heavy for its size? The weight is meaningless without knowing how big it is. How hard is it? Does it leave a streak on the back of a porcelain tile? Where was it found and how near to any possible industrial activity, including dumping grounds?
In general, sizeable masses of silvery metal are relatively rare occurrences in nature and/or confined to particular geological areas... ie man-made materials such as slag are more likely.
Sometimes it's easier to be sure something is not a meteorite rather than leave uncertainty that it might be. This specimen definitely is not. Any meteorite which has a metallic appearance will always be strongly magnetic and there are no exceptions to this rule. It's because the bulk of the native metal which occurs in meteorites is iron, plus some nickel.
I don't know what your specimen might be from the pictures alone. Is it unusually heavy for its size? The weight is meaningless without knowing how big it is. How hard is it? Does it leave a streak on the back of a porcelain tile? Where was it found and how near to any possible industrial activity, including dumping grounds?
In general, sizeable masses of silvery metal are relatively rare occurrences in nature and/or confined to particular geological areas... ie man-made materials such as slag are more likely.
Red-Coat
Gold Member
Welcome to Tnet.
There is no such thing as a "Titanium meteorite" and the Ebay specimen you linked to is being misrepresented by the seller. It's not a meteorite.
The native metallic components of meteorites are generally in the region of 6-20% nickel (higher in the metal from stony meteorites), with most of the rest as iron. There may be cobalt in amounts up to about 2%, copper in amounts up to about 0.02%, plus traces of manganese and tin. Anything else will usually be in parts per million, or present as non-native compounds.
You seem to be regarding all slag (don't forger 'clinker' too) as 'steel slag' but that's not the case. Slag is the unwanted waste from the smelting of any ore or purification of the resultant metals. It's not exclusive to iron ores or steel production and so isn't necessarily attracted to magnet.
As I said previously, any meteorite which exhibits native metal will be attracted to a magnet and there are no exceptions to this rule.
There is no such thing as a "Titanium meteorite" and the Ebay specimen you linked to is being misrepresented by the seller. It's not a meteorite.
The native metallic components of meteorites are generally in the region of 6-20% nickel (higher in the metal from stony meteorites), with most of the rest as iron. There may be cobalt in amounts up to about 2%, copper in amounts up to about 0.02%, plus traces of manganese and tin. Anything else will usually be in parts per million, or present as non-native compounds.
You seem to be regarding all slag (don't forger 'clinker' too) as 'steel slag' but that's not the case. Slag is the unwanted waste from the smelting of any ore or purification of the resultant metals. It's not exclusive to iron ores or steel production and so isn't necessarily attracted to magnet.
As I said previously, any meteorite which exhibits native metal will be attracted to a magnet and there are no exceptions to this rule.
Red-Coat
Gold Member
Titanium can be present in meteorites... BUT the total titanium content by bulk analysis is not known to exceed 0.1% and, as native metal, even lower. It would be wrong to call such meteorites "Titanium Meteorites". Several classes of meteorite (notably primitive chondrites) may have inclusions which are very high in titanium compounds but such inclusions are generally tiny and not present in sufficient quantity to elevate the titanium content in the overall meteorite to high levels.
The original specimen posted was described as "non magnetic, inside is a shiny silver". I repeat again that any meteorite exhibiting native metal will be attracted to a magnet and that there are no exceptions to this rule.
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- Jan 30, 2013
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I have a couple really good meteorites from ebay, but I know the sellers.
Red-Coat
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