smelted bog iron or meteorite?

[johnnyi]

Hello. I thought I'd post this for an opinion. The fact that I found it in the N.J. coastal area rich in bog iron, and the fact I found it at a late 1680's location make me almost certain it is very early smelted iron, but someone suggested to me meteorite so here goes: it is extremely heavy for its size (whichh is about five inches long) and it holds a magent tightly as though it was iron or steel. There was no apparent rust on it, only discoloration. Thanks for looking.

 

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[Tuberale]

I've never seen bog iron before, so don't know.

Meteorites differ from native iron in that they have ablation scars called regmaglympts on the surface. These look like small thumbprints, and should be found on all surfaces of smaller stones. Your specimen MAY show some of these thumprints or dimples, but without the stone in hand it is impossible to tell from the photos shown.

Another important factor is the presence of nickel. Most meteorites have 5-8% nickel by weight. This can be proven from a simple chemical test done at most chemistry labs in the United States.

Another nearly fool-proof test is to create a small "window" into the interior of the stone by filing a small area with a carbon-steel file or a Dremel tool. The exposed surface should show Widmanstatten markings, often used for diagnostic purposes on iron-nickel meteorites. You must discount the groves on the stone formed from a file, though. Widmanstatten diagrams can be going in any direction within the stone, giving it a 3-dimensional appearance in cross-section.

Your stone does appear to show some metal on the eroded surfaces. It could be from a very old meteorite fall, based on the discoloration of the stone surface. It needs further testing to be certain. Try taking it to a local community college for a nickel test: pretty simple stuff for a first-year chemistry student.