Meteorite or not?

[robotunicorn]

Can anyone tell if this is a meteorite? It’s definitely metal. Found in Andalusia, Spain

 

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[Red-Coat]

Welcome to Tnet.

It would be highly unusual for a meteorite to have any of its faces as flat as that. Is it attracted to a magnet... and, if so, how strongly?

 

[robotunicorn]

I made that flat surface on a tile. And yes, it is quite magnetic. It also leaves a faint gray streak on a ceramic tile.

 

[dougachim]

That one deserves a second look. Do you want me to help you get it thru to approval by IMCA, it will make it more valuable if it is one and one no one else has one.

 

[Red-Coat]

I made that flat surface on a tile. And yes, it is quite magnetic. It also leaves a faint gray streak on a ceramic tile.

A nickel-iron meteorite will always be very strongly magnetic. They also don't leave a significant streak on a ceramic tile and it would be virtually impossible to abrade a flat surface "on a tile"... unless that's a typo and you meant "on a file".

 

[robotunicorn]

Sorry, I meant a file of course, haha. I’m thinking about doing the nickel test with acid, but it will probably take a few days to get here if I order it.

 

[Red-Coat]

On your other thread (which for reasons I know not is now closed for replies, has had its “what kind of meteorite?” title scrubbed and pictures deleted) you said:

I’m sorry but what? So according to you, all tektite found in Spain is fake ? I refuse to believe so. Multiple meteorites have struck the ground fairly close to where my house is located. There is even a map that will show you locations. A simple google search will show you. If you really could not tell, I have obviously polished it and removed all the rust.

The nearest impact site to you which is known to have produced tektites is the Ries Crater at Nordlingen in Germany. The strewn field for these tektites (known as Moldavites) is quite extensive and into the Czech Republic to the East and parts of Scandinavia to the North, but does not extend as far south as Spain. No Moldavites have been found in your country. They are in any case distinctly green or greenish-yellow.

If you know of some other type of tektite found in Spain then that would be news to me (and likely news to the scientific community). Please tell me what it is called and where it has been found.

Regarding meteorites, there are only 43 entries for Spain in the Meteoritical Society database. Eight are classified as “Doubtful” meteorites and two classified as “Pseudometeorites”. The other 33 are verified meteorites.

For Andalusia (where you said you found these specimens) there are only four entries, named as follows:

- Colomera (an Octahedrite or Stony Iron with Pallasitic portions classified in Group IIE that fell in 1912 with a recovered weight of 134kg)

- La Rinconada (a 1934 find classified as a “Doubtful” iron meteorite with an unrecorded recovered weight)

- Ojuelos Altos (a low metal L6 Chondrite that fell in 1926 with a recovered weight of 5.85kg)

- Sevilla (a low metal, low iron LL6 Chondrite that fell in 1862 with a recovered weight of 180g)


Again, if you know of others, please name them or provide references.

I repeat again that “Anything which has a metallic appearance or a substantially metallic composition which exhibits anything other than very strong attraction to a magnet will not be meteorite. There are no exceptions to that rule.” From what you have shown and said so far (“not super magnetic, but a strong magnet will stick to them”) then they aren’t meteorites.

Of course I can’t tell whether you have cleaned or polished your specimens just by looking at photographs. I only know what you tell me, and you haven’t exactly been very forthcoming with information.