Lump of metal

Of course a metallurgical lab would be able to give a certain and definitive analysis of this lump, but that would take the fun out of it all!

Attached is a photo of the spot where I tapped it with a hammer (with much less force than one would use to drive a nail into soft wood). No cracking, no shattering or flaking. This stuff is not so hard and is definitely malleable. But pyrites are brittle! Lets see if the surfaces I applied metal polish on will tarnish over time, and to what color; that may provide another clue.

Right now I'm having a flight of fancy that this lump may be the work of some prospector's labors long ago, cooking up the fruits of his labors over a makeshift field kiln a mixture of a very low gold content (which would explain the higher SG, malleability, half-melted parts and maybe part of the color) together with other types of ores he panned out. And then again, it may not contain any Au at all! *POP goes the dream bubble*

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19115.msg125616.html#msg125616

Stony meteorites are not magnetic, but all of those containing iron are. However, magnetism or lack thereof is not the only feature of meteorites.

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19115.msg126056.html#msg126056

Update: I had the lump looked at by a chap who's rather savvy when it comes to local minerals and geology. It's plain old copper ore in massive form. Ah well....I may take a grinder to it and turn it into a nice smooth brassy yellow paperweight!

In no way do I consider this to be a loss; I've learned about the world of meteorites thanks to this lump, and will be on the lookout for space rocks in the future. My thanks to all who contributed to this thread!

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19115.msg126212.html#msg126212

  You have a great find, I would not clean it either. I may be wrong but I thought meteroites would have other metals not Bronze, but I am not an expert.  It may be a piece of space junk that melted as it fell back to earth ?   Just keep searching for an anwser to it's orgin. I would also check the area you found it in, for other pieces, maybe fragments also.
Your find is unique to say the least.  Great Job !  

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19115.msg126268.html#msg126268

Seanengman, you are absolutely right. I did not stop there. Used up my meager stock of dilute HCl trying to clean it unsuccessfully. Sawed off a thin slice and blasted it with an oxy-acetylene torch till it melted and puddled. Meteorite fans, please don't be upset...this lump's not a space rock. The chopped off section exposed a consistent yellow.

To my surprise, there were little flecks of color mostly in depressions. I guess the yellow stuff is more dense than the surrounding metal(s) and sank as the metal cooled, hence the "craters". Rubbed the few yellow protrusions onto the back of a tile...I was expecting a brassy bronze streak, but got gold streaks instead. On the reverse of this small melted piece (approx 18mm x 20mm) is reddish copper. Time to visit a goldsmith for some HNO3!



Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,19115.msg126600.html#msg126600