Galena or space rock?

[Lowbatts]

Got this out of the river.? Have not had it analyzed yet.? It weighs in at over a half pound and rings up high to bell tone on the CZ.? It was isolated in a rock garden without much of anything else around.? I used the dollar for scale.? Got that some other time.? We don't have galena or other metals in this part of Illinois.? Any of you rock hounds out there?? Lemme know!

 

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[Lasivian]

Is it magnetic?

 

[Lowbatts]

Nope, I think it's lead after all. Cut a shaving with the knife and it was too soft to be hard metal. The early settlers up the Mississippi were told by the natives that this stuff was laying on the ground out near Galena here and there. Maybe I got a wayward piece. It does not seem to be what the settlers carried for casting. I've found a few remnants of casting lead bars at early sites and they seem different.

Thanks! Forgot all about the magnet test.

 

[Lasivian]

It doesn't look to have any of the results of burning that happens to a meteorite falling to earth (In my opinion).

You're most likely right to say natural lead if you were able to shave it with a knife.

I would check it's weight versus it's volume.

 

[Diane L.]

There are many types of iron type rocks that look like meteorites.Here is some tests to try. does it move with a compass? Take a tile that has no varnish like that of the back of a toilet top and scratch it on it a couple of times if it makes any black or reddish Brown colours it is probably Hematite, Iron ore or Basalt like that of volcanic rocks.Meteorites do not leave a scratch mark, also grind a part of it on a grinder to see if it has any metal silver shinny flakes in it.Is it magnetic? These are good indicators that is could be a meteorite.Meteorite have a thin dark egg type crust after comming through the atmosphere ..But some do not and could be every rusty because they can start to rust very fast.some do not....But these are ones that are hardly found around here..northern areas are to damp.Arizona is a great place for hunting rocks they do not rust away very fast.
Go to The Meteorite man.com and he has other information on meteorites.Type in "meteorite information" and it should also take you to a meteorite informational pages.Good Luck!

 

[bakergeol]

Hi? Lowbatts
Your specimen really doesn't look like native galena. Would expect to see some cubic crystals here. Donna is correct use the streak test. Hematite including specular hematite(which looks silvery) would produce a red streak. Galena would produce a gray streak. Actually the vertical marking on it suggest the work of man here. As you stated it is soft-my guess would be lead(silver?--Most of silver occurs with lead)from a furnace.

George