🔎 UNIDENTIFIED Iron rock?

[JVA5th]

Found this metal detecting today. Not sure if it is just a broken iron object but doesn't seem man made and I've dug a ton of old iron junk and this seems a little different to me. I know it's probably nothing very exciting but I just wanted to see if it's anything semi interesting at least before I toss it.

 

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[tamrock]

It's an iron mineral of some type would be my guess. There are many forms of natural iron found all over the globe in the way of bog iron to meteorites. So much so I've wondered why the iron age didn't come before the bronze age? There are so many names given to these various rocks and minerals and what some might label what you have, others might call it something else. This site which assist on meteorite identification references a lot about the various types of iron rich minerals with many wonderful photographic samples. You will notice they are found just about everywhere and formed in so many ways.

Iron-oxide concretions and nodules 1 | Some Meteorite Information | Washington University in St. Louis

sites.wustl.edu

 

[JVA5th]

It's an iron mineral of some type would be my guess. There are many forms of natural iron found all over the globe in the way of bog iron to meteorites. So much so I've wondered why the iron age didn't come before the bronze age? There are so many names given to these various rocks and minerals and what some might label what you have, others might call it something else. This site which assist on meteorite identification references a lot about the various types of iron rich minerals with many wonderful photographic samples. You will notice they are found just about everywhere and formed in so many ways.

Iron-oxide concretions and nodules 1 | Some Meteorite Information | Washington University in St. Louis

sites.wustl.edu

Thank you for the response. I was just curious over my many years of metal detecting I've found a ton of junk iron just never a solid iron chunk that looked natural so I was just curious. Though it could very well be something broken

 

[AU Seeker]

File/sand/grind a "window" on the corner so we can see what the inside/interior of the specimen looks like, the smoother it is the better, what it looks like will help possibly tell if it's mineral, metal or from outer space.

It will also help greatly to know what color the filings are, i.e. "streak color" test.

 

[JVA5th]

File/sand/grind a "window" on the corner so we can see what the inside/interior of the specimen looks like, the smoother it is the better, what it looks like will help possibly tell if it's mineral, metal or from outer space.

It will also help greatly to know what color the filings are, i.e. "streak color" test.

I will do that in just a bit and post it.

 

[JVA5th]

Looks like solid metal after I took a grinding wheel to the corner. So maybe just a iron object that broke in a weird way?

 

[Red-Coat]

You say it's "iron" but have you actually checked it with a magnet? How strongly is it attracted versus a comparison with something that you know for sure is actually iron?

 

[JVA5th]

You say it's "iron" but have you actually checked it with a magnet? How strongly is it attracted versus a comparison with something that you know for sure is actually iron?

Yeah definitely attracts a magnet, the magnet is strongly attracted to the thing.

 

[AU Seeker]

Looks like solid metal after I took a grinding wheel to the corner. So maybe just a iron object that broke in a weird way?

It's either a iron relic(earth metal) or it's possible it could be a iron meteorite, the only way to know if it is will be to have it tested by experts

 

[Doubter in MD]

Cool specimen. I don't know what it is, meteorite or otherwise, but I'd have brought it home. Thanks for posting.

 

[Charlie P. (NY)]

Does a magnet stick to it? Could be some form of iron ore (it's pretty common).

In the Northeast we get what is called "bog iron" that are natural occurring iron lumps formed from dissolved iron minerals that form over time. They can be from walnut to football sized. Don't know if it occurs in California.

 

[Red-Coat]

With a very metallic interior like that, it won't be bog iron, which is composed mainly of iron oxyhydrides. They don't have a metallic appearance.

Metallic (native) iron, as opposed to its non-metallic compounds, is a pretty rare terrestrial material and only found in particular locations, almost exclusively in the far northern hemisphere.

Other than that, native iron in its metallic form only arises as man-made material from industrial processes, or arrives as meteorites (in which case it's always alloyed with at least some proportion of nickel).

There's nothing about it which suggests 'meteorite', but only expert assessment could tell for sure. The balance of probability is that ferromagnetic metallic materials like this have come from industrial sources. Slag is a high probability. I don't know if there has been military activity (which would include Civil War activity) in the find area but, over here, pieces of material like that often turn out to be shrapnel gifted to us by the Luftwaffe.

 

[metaldiggr]

I think Red-Coat has it... I lived in SW Pa, we had tons of slag and it hits on a detector

 

[JVA5th]

With a very metallic interior like that, it won't be bog iron, which is composed mainly of iron oxyhydrides. They don't have a metallic appearance.

Metallic (native) iron, as opposed to its non-metallic compounds, is a pretty rare terrestrial material and only found in particular locations, almost exclusively in the far northern hemisphere.

Other than that, native iron in its metallic form only arises as man-made material from industrial processes, or arrives a meteorites (in which case it's always alloyed with at least some proportion of nickel).

There's nothing about it which suggests 'meteorite', but only expert assessment could tell for sure. The balance of probability is that ferromagnetic metallic materials like this have come from industrial sources. Slag is a high probability. I don't know if there has been military activity (which would include Civil War activity) in the find area but, over here, pieces of material like that often turn out to be shrapnel gifted to us by the Luftwaffe.

I still myself think something that was an iron object that got broken up in a weird way. I just brought it home because it was so heavy and looked odd. No war stuff or military stuff around this area since it's from central California.

 

[Doubter in MD]

Carbonaceous chondrite meteorite in this photo. I am not saying what JVA5th found is a meteorite. I have no expertise in that field. However, assuming he found it near Atwater, California, it appears he is located in the vicinity of a strewn field from a 2012 fireball/meteor breakup.

 

[Red-Coat]

Carbonaceous chondrite meteorite in this photo. I am not saying what JVA5th found is a meteorite. I have no expertise in that field. However, assuming he found it near Atwater, California, it appears he is located in the vicinity of a strewn field from a 2012 fireball/meteor breakup.

The item found is strongly attracted to a magnet and has an obviously metallic interior. Neither would be the case for a carbonaceous chondrite.

 

[JVA5th]

View attachment 2010913

Carbonaceous chondrite meteorite in this photo. I am not saying what JVA5th found is a meteorite. I have no expertise in that field. However, assuming he found it near Atwater, California, it appears he is located in the vicinity of a strewn field from a 2012 fireball/meteor breakup.

It was found in mariposa California. I highly doubt it's a meteorite. Just was a curiosity for me as I've metal detected around here for years and years and first time I've come across something like this here. Could be some type of slag, could even be some sort of iron object that was shrapnelled somehow. Just when I picked it up after digged it out of the ground it's weight was unexpected and weighted a lot more than most iron junk it's size I've found. Though in the end I'm just curious about what it is junk or not doesn't matter always wanted to learn about things.

 

[Doubter in MD]

Iron-nickel meteorite pictured. (assuming it was properly identified by owner)

Again, I'm not saying you have a meteorite. I'm just posting pictures that to my untrained eye, look similar.

 

[JVA5th]

Iron-nickel meteorite pictured. (assuming it was properly identified by owner)

View attachment 2010916

Again, I'm not saying you have a meteorite. I'm just posting pictures that to my untrained eye, look similar.

Yeah I know. I've seen far too many people thinking they'd found a meteorite on here and I wasn't going to go down that path. I know the chances of that are highly unlikely. It'd be really cool but in regards to that this is most likely something else. I'm guess with my luck just a piece of iron scrap. But I still have no clue still just sitting on the table in my house.