Black rock with thin black glass on top , what is it?

[Joseph2168]

I found this in the desert of New Mexico in the middle of alot of sand. No other rocks around and cannot find what it is ,can someone help me?

 

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[RW]

Interesting pics, especially 1 and 5. I will reserve my amateur opinion until the more knowledgeable members comment.

 

[Kray Gelder]

Looks like what is called desert varnish. Usually iron and manganese oxides plus silica that settles on the rock. Over thousands of years, baked by the sun, it forms a glass-like coating.

 

[Tuberale]

Need some additional information, Joseph2168.
Specifically, is the rock magnetic? Use a powerful magnet on it if possible.
Does the stone look like it has been intentionally broken?
If the answer to the first question is yes, and the answer to the second question is no, I would hazard a guess that the stone may be a meteorite.
Kray Gelder is correct that Desert Varnish is possible. What he is unlikely to know that Desert Varnish is most often white. Black or brown is a color often associated with a fusion crust. It appears (at least to me) that this crust is on the first part of the inside of the stone.

 

[Al D]

You may have a real one there, need to get some specific data on it like, density, magnetic susceptibility, and most of all, lets see a microscopic image of the interior.

 

[Kray Gelder]

If one reads about desert varnish, reddish brown to black is the usual color. I realize the OP was hoping it may be a meteorite. I'm not going to encourage that idea, because it's not.

 

[TimberCrack]

maybe it got cooked from an atomic blast??

 

[RW]

Are stony chondrites always (or ever) magnetic? Here is one from Beenham, Union Co. New Mexico for comparison.

 

[Joseph2168]

I'll have to check on the megnetics of it. It doesn't look like it has been mined out of anywhere. I am familiar with desert varnish, I live very close to petroglyphs that were scratched into it. I just never seen dessert varnish as a glass crust.

 

[galenrog]

Kray is again 100% correct. 1: Not a meteorite. 2: Desert varnish.

I would suggest taking a few geology classes and joining a few rock clubs. If you want to identify possible meteorites, pick up a few handbooks.

Time for more coffee.

 

[Al D]

Just for the sake of argument, which characteristics of this specimen indicate that it could not be a meteorite?
I am quite familiar with desert varnish and this looks different.
I do not see any characteristic which indicates that it could not be a meteorite.

 

[tamrock]

Looks like a form of fine grained rhyolite to me. That greasy sheen, can be the result of exposure to the atmosphere and even the light the sun over eons of being on the surface.

 

[Al D]

In this photo of the specimen, the crust can be seen and appears to be thicker than a desert varnish, note the way it has separated from the main body, it has the observable characteristics of a fusion crust.
It is probably not a meteorite, but I would want some analytical testing done before I was sure, this specimen warrants a closer look.

 

[Al D]

Compare Meteorite Fusion Crust

 

[Joseph2168]

here's something else, I put it to the grinder and it smells like gunpowder.

 

[Al D]

here's something else, I put it to the grinder and it smells like gunpowder.

Thats a good sign

 

[Kray Gelder]

Just for the sake of argument, which characteristics of this specimen indicate that it could not be a meteorite?
I am quite familiar with desert varnish and this looks different.
I do not see any characteristic which indicates that it could not be a meteorite.

Maybe, the OP could post more and better photos of his find. In the mean time, one can't prove a negative.

 

[Joseph2168]

What type of pictures do you need. All I wanted to know is what type of rock it could be, it could just be black silica for all I know. Tell me what type of pictures you need and I'll see what I can do.

 

[Al D]

A photo like this of the interior of your specimen, in sharp focus

 

[Joseph2168]

Here are two pictures, one of the inside, one of place that I grinded on.