I found this in my drive way after a meteor shower. It has a crust on it and appears to be somewhat melted looking with some crystal type sparkles in the crust. It also weighs a lot for it's size. 6.4 oz for this object is just barley bigger than a golf ball Also a lot of iron pyrite. Oddly shaped to be of natural origin from earth. For pyrite crystal that is. Also has a few Brite purple like spots when under a uv light. So I believe this is a genuine meteorite because it wasn't there the before I went to bed that night but there in the morning after the shower. Thoughts.
My driveway meteorite, real or not
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Back-of-the-boat
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IMO those crystalline structures that are visible would have melted unless there is another side that has a fusion crust. Then I would say it is only a piece from an impacted meteorite But I don't know if those crystals would even be possible in a meteorite.
Back-of-the-boat
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Does a magnet stick to it or would it be a stony meteorite, in your opinion?
bc5391
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shave a bit off, a tile saw works great. If you can see small dots of nickle, then it is a good chance of being a meteorite.also the magnet test, but that only tells if it is magnetic like magnetite , having the crystals , I lean towards magnetite.
Red-Coat
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Welcome to Tnet.
What I see of the crystalline structure is not characteristic of any meteorite type. It looks to me to be a piece of something terrestrial and pyrite-rich. Iron pyrites itself is not attracted to a magnet but can be so if magnetite is present as a secondary mineral.
Try a streak test on the back (unglazed) side of a porcelain tile if you have one left over from a bathroom or kitchen job. Streak firmly, not to-and-fro as if you're 'colouring in' and blow away any dust. It's the colour of the streak you're looking for, not the colour of any dust created. Pyrite streaks black or greenish-black and magnetite streaks black or grey. Other accessory iron minerals (such as hematite, limonite or goethite may give the streak reddish-brown or yellowish tinges. A meteorite will at best give you a faint dirty streak, or more usually nothing at all but note that the absence of a streak is not diagnostic for meteorites... the test is just a way of determining whether terrestrial iron compounds are present.
What I see of the crystalline structure is not characteristic of any meteorite type. It looks to me to be a piece of something terrestrial and pyrite-rich. Iron pyrites itself is not attracted to a magnet but can be so if magnetite is present as a secondary mineral.
Try a streak test on the back (unglazed) side of a porcelain tile if you have one left over from a bathroom or kitchen job. Streak firmly, not to-and-fro as if you're 'colouring in' and blow away any dust. It's the colour of the streak you're looking for, not the colour of any dust created. Pyrite streaks black or greenish-black and magnetite streaks black or grey. Other accessory iron minerals (such as hematite, limonite or goethite may give the streak reddish-brown or yellowish tinges. A meteorite will at best give you a faint dirty streak, or more usually nothing at all but note that the absence of a streak is not diagnostic for meteorites... the test is just a way of determining whether terrestrial iron compounds are present.
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Just to be clear... yes it CAN have crystals... from impact... it then becomes a form / type of tektite in some cases.
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Here is a picture of Moldavite... from Germany... this one produced a transparent green when it impacted.
Oh and PS... the above is NOT magnetic... I think it can be slightly if powerful enough magnet is used though.
Oh and PS... the above is NOT magnetic... I think it can be slightly if powerful enough magnet is used though.
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Red-Coat
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It's not a tektite.
Tektites are, by definition, amorphous. That is, they lack crystalline structure. When you see what look like crystalline patterns on tektites such as Moldavite, that's the result of splintering of what is essentially a glass, but arising after it has cooled, subsequent to the initial impact and atmospheric travel from the impact site.
Moldavite can also exhibit surface striations and feathery patterns which resemble crystalline forms but those are not related to impact or subsequent shattering and they're not crystalline structures. They're formed by chemical etching and weathering of solidified material over the 15 million years since the impact that created them.
Tektites are, by definition, amorphous. That is, they lack crystalline structure. When you see what look like crystalline patterns on tektites such as Moldavite, that's the result of splintering of what is essentially a glass, but arising after it has cooled, subsequent to the initial impact and atmospheric travel from the impact site.
Moldavite can also exhibit surface striations and feathery patterns which resemble crystalline forms but those are not related to impact or subsequent shattering and they're not crystalline structures. They're formed by chemical etching and weathering of solidified material over the 15 million years since the impact that created them.
Red-Coat
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Not sure what OP has... i am by no means a stone or meteorite guy.
I do know many stones... but more the common ones... semi precious and precious.
I do know many stones... but more the common ones... semi precious and precious.
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Its funny you mention it is essentially a glass. I have a friend that incorporates Moldavite into his glass work, and is able to fuse it to borosilicate glass. Very cool stuff. Also I can't remember where he gets it from, but the country that sells a lot of it has had the gov't take over the mines and they started treating it like diamonds and controlling the release of it in turn causing prices to go up quite a bit lately.
Red-Coat
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Yes, it's a rather pure form of glass, with a very low water content. I've never tried this, but it's said that you can heat it up to redness and drop it in cold water without it shattering. Although the impact which created it was in what is now Germany, the tektites mostly ended up in what is now the Czech Republic. Occasional pieces turn up elsewhere as far north as Denmark. The area around Besednice in the Czech Republic is a prime site but has been extensively exploited, so it's becoming harder to get nice pieces.
There are plenty of fakes around now. Usually made from melted Chinese beer bottles, but they tend to have a rather garish shade of green which is uncharacteristic for the real thing.
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antmike915
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not a meteorite and I don't not believe there are any tektites found in the USA.
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When I say crystal like I do not mean that it is like a crystal I mean that it sparkles like a crystal. I should have been clearer. There are no glass like features on this speciman. It's all metal type material. Sorry for the confusion
Red-Coat
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Agree it's not a meteorite. Tektites are found in the USA - Texas Bediasites and Georgiates for example - but it's not a tektite.
I would repeat that it doesn't have characteristics for a meteorite. Quite the opposite in fact. You still haven't said whether or not it's attracted to a magnet and, if so, how strongly. Please let us know the results of a streak test. Neither of these factors are definitive, but they help narrow down the possibilities and can sometimes rule out a meteorite.
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