ID Help? - Magnet Fishing for Fragments from Past Fireball Event

[Derk]

I found this and several other, very small(pea sized or less) meteorite-like stones attached to my magnet while magnet fishing a bridge that I chose strictly because of its location being directly inline with the path of a rather large fireball that was recorded by a patrol car's dash cam a couple years ago. Could this be a possible surviving piece from that fall that land in the river? Below, I will post a link to that fireball video too.


Fireball Video:

 

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[galenrog]

Even in an area of a known meteorite fall, not one magnetic rock in a million will be a meteorite.

A significant percentage of rocks in my driveway are magnetic.

Time for more coffee.

 

[Derk]

A significant percentage of rocks in my driveway are magnetic.

Correct. And although it wont seem like it, as a rule, I only ask for ID help on a stone if it has a strong resemblance visually to any image(s) that I come across, of other already known and proven meteorites. I am not interested in the 999,999(and then some) rocks that also stick to a magnet. But, speaking of meteorites exclusively, regardless of where they fall(in your driveway perhaps) very nearly all of them that make contact with a 900lb neodymium are going to stick. It's no different than someone using a metal detector to help find them under the surface. Not every hit(and hardly even any) is a meteorite, but mostly every meteorite within range is going to give a signal. And similarly there are the other interesting finds that fascinate followers of both hobbies.
I do, as always, appreciate and value your feedback, to be clear. And that brings to mind a question I have for you. Should I try to include with any ID requests in the future, the name and possibly some picture samples if I can, of whichever known/proven meteorite I thought a find might resemble?? Or would it make any difference in your opinion when evaluating a pic or vid??

 

[Red-Coat]

To be frank, some sharp high resolution still pictures would be rather more helpful than lower resolution wavering videos that go in and out of focus. Nevertheless, I see nothing which has recognisable features of a meteorite. There’s another reason why you are ‘barking up the wrong tree’ if you’re chasing that particular ‘fireball’ event (which, in the overall scheme of things, could hardly be considered ‘large’).

What Officer Cramer saw that night in December is generally accepted as having been part of the Geminid shower, which happens every year around early to mid-December. He said in interview that he’s seen around 10 such events during his patrols, but this was the first time he managed to hit the record button on his dashcam in time to get pictures and commented: “It’s pretty neat. I didn’t realize there was going to be a meteor shower going on.” There were multiple sightings from other witnesses and at least one other video, which shows the streak to have been only moderately bright, and very short-lived. The Geminid shower was particularly busy and bright in 2018 (relative to other years) and peaked on the night he saw the streak at more than one per minute (with varying brightness) for those with a clear-sky view.

Despite the fact that it appeared (to witnesses) to have shot ‘downwards’ over Greentown, in reality it would have been at extreme altitude in the upper atmosphere, a long way from the actual observations, moving at high velocity, and on a trajectory that is unlikely to have been able to deposit any material near the observation path of the streak.

In fact Geminids are not known to reach the ground at all. They’re too small to survive atmospheric entry, being composed mainly of dust and small particles, and believed to be of a composition that is both fragile and susceptible to burning up. That’s reflected in the observations of bright but short-lived streaks. The source for Geminids has been confirmed to be the asteroid 3200 Phaethon. Spectral data of the debris cloud before arrival in our atmosphere has been matched to the asteroid itself. It’s composed of dark material and has been classified as an ‘F-Type’ asteroid, which is an uncommon variant of carbonaceous asteroids.

Phaethon’s orbit takes it closer to the Sun than any other named asteroid. It’s believed that the resultant heating causes fractures similar to mud cracks in a dry lake and then solar radiation pressure pushes small flakes off the surface to create a debris cloud which the Earth regularly crosses. Not only are these fragments too small to survive atmospheric entry, but their carbonaceous composition suggests there’s no reason to suppose they would contain sufficient metal to be magnetic.

 

[Derk]

Wow! Thank you, Red-Coat for that in-depth response to my questions. I really appreciate good information like that you just shared here, that helps to make me a better informed hunter. And when someone knows as much about the particulars of a specific event as you were able to call on, I don't feel like I'm just taking your word for it(although I would at that). I have only reached the point of knowing that I know entirely nothings and so I must rely on the knowledgeable, such as yourselves. And to that end, I thank you once again.