Chrisman91 Posted April 13, 2012 Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 I couldn't find a section on here for meteorite questions so I will ask here and hope that it is okay. While out with my metal detector today I came across a really strong signal. After digging about 5 inches down I heard the loud "click" of something slamming on to my magnet. Upon inspection I found this little dude:It is half the size of a dime and weighs in at 3.4 grams. How can I determine if this is a meteorite fragment or just a piece of ironstone? It sticks to the neodymium magnet I have VERY WELL! The only reason I was thinking it may be a meteorite is because it was the only piece like it in a roughly 100 sq. ft. area. I figured if it was ironstone there would be more pieces. I may be, and probably am, wrong, but I am dying to know. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted April 13, 2012 Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 Hi Chris I answered part of your question on Bill's forum...a lone piece of ironstone is not unusual...which is likely what that is....O. Richard Norton's latest and last book is a great reference...You belong to four clubs and they have some great claims, you really don't need to drive to Gold Basin to increase your odds...the Basin is a tough place for many...but well worth seeing.You now haave the best of both worlds; a 5000 and a gold bug...good luckfred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Border Boy Posted April 13, 2012 Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 looks semi promising , polish a window so you can be sure look for a pattern within Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisman91 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 Here are a couple of hopefully better pictures of the piece. Is there a certain type of ceramic that I need to use to do the scratch test? Looking at it through a 10x loupe it has a lot of tiny little shiny metallic-looking crystals in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisman91 Posted April 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2012 Hi Chris I answered part of your question on Bill's forum...a lone piece of ironstone is not unusual...which is likely what that is....O. Richard Norton's latest and last book is a great reference... You belong to four clubs and they have some great claims, you really don't need to drive to Gold Basin to increase your odds...the Basin is a tough place for many...but well worth seeing. You now haave the best of both worlds; a 5000 and a gold bug...good luck fred Hi Fred, thanks for the post. There is a lot of areas local for me to hunt gold, but the main reason I am looking at the Basin and other areas in Az. & Nv. is simply to be able to get out and explore new places I have not been to yet. I have hunted the area out here a lot and haven't really found too much, so I figure if I go to G.B. or R.P. or some of the other places I read about on the boards then I have just as much of a chance at finding gold there as I do here. BUT....the odds of me running into some of the folks here on the forums is much greater in that neck of the woods and I think it would be great to meet some of you folks in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dutch john Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Howdy Chris... For a scratch test... unglazed porcelen (sp?) .. Old toilet tank underside okay. PS: you are stll on the list...js Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisman91 Posted April 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Howdy Chris... For a scratch test... unglazed porcelen (sp?) .. Old toilet tank underside okay. PS: you are stll on the list...jsHowdy Jim....glad to see ya still posting. I met up with Judy Carpenter last week in Wildomar and paid my renewal fees so I am officially good for another year. On another note:Well, I filed a corner off of the specimen and this is what it came out like. When I did the streak test on the back of a ceramic tile, it left no streaks at all. And when I used this identification site (http://meteorite-ide.../123455321.html) it matched with the last 3 descriptions.....so I am thinking that I found my very first meteorite. I could still be wrong, but either way I am excited nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredm Posted April 14, 2012 Report Share Posted April 14, 2012 Seeing over the next hill is always part of my enjoyment...if that is solid metal, only a test for nickel will confirm it is or is not an iron meteorite...meteorlab.com ; if they still do the tests, the price is very reasonable...fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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