First glance, just trash. Second glance, hey, cool! Meteorite fragment!

mirage83 · Feb 2, 2010

Found it about 2 years ago and thought I would share with the online gang. It's not very large as such things go, but it's the first and only one I've found so far.

washingtonian · Feb 3, 2010

How can you tell if it is a meteorite fragment, or just some scrap metal? I feel like I've thrown away a lot of things that look like that haha.

Alnitak · Feb 3, 2010

I hate to pee on your parade, but that just doesn't look anything like a meteorite fragment. Looks like a piece of slag.

Deepdiger60 · Feb 3, 2010

Thats cool !! to find something that traveled millions of light years ? with a MD thats one of my to find things HH Jim

Gribnitz · Feb 3, 2010

Only way to know for sure is to send it in and have it tested. If it's a meteorite, it will have some nickel content in it. There is lots and lots of burned melted pieces of metal in the ground and a lot of it looks like rocks from the sky. If your confident, send it in to have it tested.

mirage83 · Feb 3, 2010

Well, the surface displays the usual ablation and flow marks from atmospheric heating of the surface, edges are very rough and sharp where this section appears to have seperated from a larger body. It's very slightly magnetic, with the backside of the piece showing no sign of ablation or heating at all. The back material appears to have some very small bright/reflective points showing, but I don't have a microscope to get a really good look at them, only a fairly decent magnifying glass.

Could I be wrong? Yes, though in both the surface features and the texture of the back it is virtually identical to some other Georgia-found specimens I had the privilege to handle a couple of years ago at the Weinman museum in Cartersville a little south of here. They had a pretty fair collection at the time, and I think they've expanded it since then. I may take it down there one weekend and have it authenticated since that's the only way to really be sure.

Knightwalker · Feb 5, 2010

Very nice looking piece of alien rock. A friend and I are hoping to go looking for them some day.
I"m taping the show off Science channel about the guy who found the biggest one in Kansas. Meteorite Men what the show is called.
:hello:

HH in 2010 :hello2:

extractor · Feb 5, 2010

Gribnitz said:
Only way to know for sure is to send it in and have it tested. If it's a meteorite, it will have some nickel content in it. There is lots and lots of burned melted pieces of metal in the ground and a lot of it looks like rocks from the sky. If your confident, send it in to have it tested.

Maybe send it to AU :coffee2: