Is this a meteorite

[Emma Lou]

[Mediospirifer]

Looks like a large piece of chert to me. 

 

One feature your piece has that isn't typical of meteorites is the banded or layered structure visible in your first and last photos. That is more typical of sedimentary rocks. 

 

Not a meteorite, but a flint knapper would probably love to turn it into arrowheads and other tools. 

 

[Gareth_]

@Emma Lou What makes you think this is a meteorite?

 

The texture is wrong, there is no evidence of fusion crust (not all meteorites have this), no regmaglypts and you won't find striations in a meteorite like your rock has.

 

295 gram Campo del Cielo meteorite

with a tiny approx 1 gram Campo del Cielo meteorite

This is an iron meteorite

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are all NWA stony meteorites, L chondrites

Some have the remains of fusion crust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not the best pics, they are coated in resin (unfortunately)

These are slices of the Sericho pallasite - a stony/iron meteorite. 

The "stony" part is very misleading as it refers to the olivine crystals 

 

 

[Crusty_Crab]

This is really helpful: https://sites.wustl.edu/meteoritesite/items/self-test-check-list/

 

It also defines and has pictures of some key features such as a fusion crust or regmaglypts.

 

 

[Gareth_]

16 hours ago, Crusty_Crab said:

This is really helpful: https://sites.wustl.edu/meteoritesite/items/self-test-check-list/

 

It also defines and has pictures of some key features such as a fusion crust or regmaglypts.

 

 

 

 

I think this is more for comical purposes as the author appears to get a lot of people asking "Is this a meteorite?". That chart is way too oversimplified and not all meteorites are as perfect as the specimens shown in the pages near the bottom - however some are absolutely amazing and I'd love to own any one of them! 

Not all meteorites are magnetic.

Of those that are magnetic, not all are strongly magnetic. The NWA meteorites I posted above are attracted (some weakly) to a neodymium magnet. A regular fridge magnet or similar isn't attracted to these - the iron content is too low.

Not all meteorites are shiny. Some of the NWA meteorites have visible shiny flakes but they are only up to 10% meteoric iron.  

Not all meteorites have regmaglypts or fusion crust. As a meteor passes through our atmosphere, they can explode into thousands of pieces creating a strewnfield. If the explosion is low in the atmosphere only a portion of those meteorites will have been the exterior surface of the larger body, most will have made up the interior of it. No fusion crust, no regmaglypts. 

Once on the surface of Earth, weathering can erode fusion crust.

 

 

 

 

[Emma Lou]

It is really heavy mych more than n a normal rock aa the same size as also a magnet sticks to it

 

 

[Emma Lou]

On 7/17/2022 at 2:27 AM, Gareth_ said:

@Emma Lou What makes you think this is a meteorite?

 

The texture is wrong, there is no evidence of fusion crust (not all meteorites have this), no regmaglypts and you won't find striations in a meteorite like your rock has.

 

295 gram Campo del Cielo meteorite

with a tiny approx 1 gram Campo del Cielo meteorite

This is an iron meteorite

 

 

 

 

 

 

These are all NWA stony meteorites, L chondrites

Some have the remains of fusion crust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not the best pics, they are coated in resin (unfortunately)

These are slices of the Sericho pallasite - a stony/iron meteorite. 

The "stony" part is very misleading as it refers to the olivine crystals 

 

 

I tried to cut it and it's so hard my grinder didn't even begin to phase it. It threw sparks also . 

[Emma Lou]

I dont think chert is magnetic.