No spherulite

[The hunter Awang]

 

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[The hunter Awang]

very unusual, Museum curator, Collector, Optional specimen,

 

[Fossils]

Looks like slag to me

 

[hvacker]

I don't see any gas holes that is usually a slag indicator. A streak is usually red. As most meteorites are almost all iron, a specific gravity could help. A nickel test also can help. A small slice can show the pattern associated with meteorites if you have access to a tile saw.

 

[Red-Coat]

I don't see anything about it which says 'meteorite' but it doesn't look like slag either. More likely a terrestrial rock.

It's not correct that 'most meteorites are almost all iron'. Nickel-iron meteorites are almost all iron-nickel in composition and account for about 90% of the mass of known falls (because they have a historical tendency to be large as well as dense and resistant) but they only represent about 6% of known falls numerically. Chondrites are far more common at around 85% of all falls and those typically have a metal content between 2-20%, but down to almost zero depending on type. Achondrites represent around 8% of all falls and are usually very low in metal too. If present, iron always occurs together with nickel (almost always as the Fe-Ni alloys taenite and kamacite), but a nickel test obviously only helps if the meteorite also happens to contain iron.

I'm not sure what is meant by 'no spherulites'. If you mean 'no chondrules' then not all meteorites contain them. Chondrites obviously do, but they can be tiny, sparse or melted and indistinct. Nickel-iron meteorites don't have chondrules, although they may have spherical inclusions such as graphite or olivine. Achondrites by definition don't have chondrules.

There's little that can be said from your picture except that it doesn't look like any kind of typical meteorite. Some exploration of its basic properties might help to establish what it is. You haven't said how big it is, how much it weighs, whether it's unusually dense, how strongly it's attracted to a magnet, what colour streak it has. No view of its interior. Also no mention of the context in which it was found nor an overview of the general geology/topography.

 

[The hunter Awang]

The specimen is 1000 grams, heavier than ordinary rock, there is no magnetic, It s peridotite and pyroxene crystals, dissolved shell gas printed, Thanks for the discussion,

 

[The hunter Awang]

Ureilite, Peridotite and pyroxene assemblage, Plagioclase crystal, Smal pieces,

 

[Red-Coat]

The specimen is 1000 grams, heavier than ordinary rock, there is no magnetic, It s peridotite and pyroxene crystals, dissolved shell gas printed, Thanks for the discussion,

Saying it weighs 1,000g is meaningless without knowing how big it is... although you do also say "heavier than ordinary rock". However, if that's the case it should also be from a metal-rich class... but you say it's non-magnetic. Your comments are very cryptic. I've collected and studied meteorites for about 40 years, but have no idea what you mean by "dissolved shell gas printed". It seems you have a belief that this is a meteorite and that you know what class it belongs to. Please could you elaborate and tell us on what those beliefs are based and whether you have an expert opinion to support them?

 

[The hunter Awang]

Ureilite, A soluble shell, peridotite and pyroxene,

 

[Red-Coat]

Ureilite, A soluble shell, peridotite and pyroxene,

This still makes no sense. Do you mean that the mineralogy is olivine/pyroxene with reduced rims?

So far, you have managed to evade my questions. I'll try again in a bit to push you for more information.

You have also sent me two private messages but which contain nothing more than the words "Hello, private letter" and your email address. Is that what you intended to send or is there some additional text that is not coming through?

 

[Red-Coat]

These are my simple questions, for which I hope you can give simple answers:

1. Where was this found and in what circumstances?

2. Is it yours, or found by you, or are you sharing pictures of a specimen from an institution/collection?

3. Who has confirmed it to be a ureilite (or any kind of meteorite), using what tests and with what degree of professional qualification or experience?

As you may know, ureilites are moderately rare. There are only 552 confirmed examples in the Meteoritical Society database. Large ureilites are even more rare. Of those 552 documented examples, only 59 represent falls with a weight in excess of 900g since ureilites tend not to be robust enough to survive atmospheric entry or ground impact in one piece unless they hit sand or snow/ice. So, for the falls where a ureilite stone larger than 900g was found as an intact piece, 36 came from sandy deserts in Northern Africa; 10 from sandy deserts in Oman and 4 from Antarctic ice fields. There are only 9 documented examples from other areas, of which 2 were also from sandy deserts.

 

[The hunter Awang]

I found it, my samples, It was found near a small village in lnner Mongolia, There are also iron meteorites nearby, I learned a lot about meteorites, what types of meteorites do you know about, My specimens are rare on the market, 900gram

 

[Red-Coat]

What kind of meteorites do I know about? I know about all kinds of meteorites and have been collecting and studying for 40 years. I have several hundred specimens representing samples from most of the classifications and a moderate collection of tektites and impactites from around the world. Frankly, I would disagree that your specimens are "rare on the market" because I don't believe they are meteorites (from what you have shown so far). Why don't you send some small specimens for independent verification and typing? Then you'll know for sure rather than taking my opinion.

 

[The hunter Awang]

The database is writing articles, there are very few pictures in it, I dont know who to trust, Which city are you in?

 

[The hunter Awang]

It must be a meteorite, Now look at shell, The new drop is a black dissolved shell, These dissolved shells are somewhat weathered,

 

[Red-Coat]

The database is writing articles, there are very few pictures in it, I dont know who to trust, Which city are you in?

Well, I'm near London in the UK although I don't know why that matters. If I need expert opinions I usually ask the Natural History Museum in London (the curator of meteorites was Professor Monica Grady, but is now Dr Natasha Almeida, although I have had no contact with the latter). Surely there is some equivalent source of expertise in your country?

The MetSoc database is a great information source but, as you say, often not the best source of pictures. If you're looking for pictures of ureilites then Google will be your friend, as long as you confine your viewing to respected institutions and reputable dealers (of whom there are quite a few). However, I don't think there is any way that an amateur could properly identify a rare achondrite meteorite class simply by looking at pictures from the internet.

If I had a dollar for every time I've heard someone say "it must be a meteorite" I would be a very rich man. There are so many other and much more likely possibilities (especially in the case of rare achondrite meteorites). You may be interested to browse Randy Korotev's gallery of meteorwrongs at the link below:

A Photo Gallery of Meteorwrongs

He provides contact details at the bottom of that page but note that he says "Please don't contact me about the meteorite you think you’ve found until you read this [hotlink provided] and this [hotlink provided]"

 

[The hunter Awang]

There are no experts in my country, I mean you re a scientist, You can buy specimens, After study, can auc tion, the natural history museum in London buys more meteorites found in the country, "Meteorite photo libray" earth rocks and volcanic rocks, I can tell meteorites from earth rocks,

 

[The hunter Awang]

I can try another meteorite, Common chondrite meteorites many many, meteorites from Mars and meteorites from the moon, Rare meteorites are rare, No one knows what planet it came from, just a guess,

 

[Charl]

I believe I recognize Red-Coat as a highly experienced, long term collector of meteorites. @the hunter Awang, you can trust the advice and information he is attempting to impart to you....

 

[Red-Coat]

I believe I recognize Red-Coat as a highly experienced, long term collector of meteorites. @the hunter Awang, you can trust the advice and information he is attempting to impart to you....

Hi Charlie. Thanks... yes, it's me [aka 'painshill']. I use various screen names on different forums... not as an attempt to conceal my identity, but because it helps me keep track of email and private message correspondence coming from different sources.

Happy New Year!