Does anyone know what this is??

[Steve in PA]

I found this at a colonial site in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. I was hunting in a cornfield when I got a strong signal reading 25-26 & Foil/Nickel on my F75. The signal turned out to be this object, which I thought COULD BE a meteorite. It is very dense and heavy, but it is non-magnetic. It weighs 65.1 grams and it's maximum dimensions are 31.5 x 26.5 x 20.0 mm. I now believe it is something other than a meteorite, but what? I just got it back from my brother who ground and polished a face on one side.

 

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[Don in SJ]

Steve, cannot help you on this one other than this very informative website on meterorites, which for the most part says, anything you find that you think is one is not one.

http://meteorites.wustl.edu/realities.htm

Don

 

[Eu_citzen]

While grinding did the water or what he used to cool turn red?
Possibly Hematite.

Do the streak test - Rub it against a unglazed piece of porcelain.
Should get a reddish colour on the porcelain.

 

[uthunter]

I would say hematite, nickel blend, cast iron, cast aluminum, lead, or galena.

 

[High Plains Digger]

Let's see a streak test. Back side (unglazed) of a bath tile. Cheapest streak plate around. I have never tried to polish (or even cut) galena, but I serious doubt that it would looks like this. I would vote on something with a high amount of nickel in it, and I don't know if there are meteorites like that. I am not too sold on hematite. Not enough black under the silvery color, and the surface of the rock looks all wrong.

 

[Arid-Zone-A-seeker]

Alaska black diamonds are just hematite, nice silver looking and hard. What is the hardness of your piece? Start with a nail, then a pocket knife, can you scratch it?
My vote is hematite.
Buy the way, a lot of Gold scratch stones are hematite!

 

[Eu_citzen]

"Gold scratch stones"?

 

[Arid-Zone-A-seeker]

"Gold scratch stones"?

You take a nice hard piece of hematite, polish one side. Then you scratch your gold on it making streaks. Then using nitric acid in different dilutions, you swipe the streaks to see witch solution will remove the gold. You can tell what the caret value of the gold is.