Steve Saturn
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/10/03
Posts: 1011
Loc: San Diego, CA
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OK, I admit. I don't know the first thing about meteorites. I found these out in the desert in south central California over twenty years ago and thought that they were unusual enough to hang on to. A CN member told me about this forum a few minutes ago, so I thought I'd throw this post out for general discussion.
I just tested them with a magnet. No attraction. I did find them with a metal detector, which, as I recall, gave a pretty strong response. Could these be meteorites or just refugees from some earthbound ore deposit?
Thanks for your input!
Steve
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Steve Saturn
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/10/03
Posts: 1011
Loc: San Diego, CA
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Here's pretty much the same shot with a quarter thrown in for scale.
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Glassthrower
Vendor - Galactic Stone & Ironworks
Reged: 04/07/05
Posts: 14687
Loc: Hurricane Alley
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Hi Steve!
Welcome to the Space Rocks forum. 
In the last photo, the two specimens to the right of the quarter are almost certainly not meteorites. They don't look like anything I have ever seen in person or in photos. If they are not attracted to a magnet, then it's a safe bet they are not.
The two on the left, going by appearances only, could look like weathered/oxidized meteorites of some type, possibly iron. But if they are not attracted to a magnet, then they are certainly not iron meteorites. Even the most heavily oxidized will show some attraction to a magnet.
So, if I was a gambling man, I'd put my money on them being terrestrial in origin. The bubbly-looking one could be welding slag or some kind of industrial slag. But without seeing them in person and doing some more intensive tests (like a nickel test), there is no way to be sure just by looking at photos.
Whatever they are, they are oddballs for sure and I would probably pick them up and keep them as well. I have a drawer full of oddball suspect "rocks". They are not meteorites, but too interesting to discard.
Regards,
MikeG
PS - keep looking!
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Michael Gilmer - Member of the Meteoritical Society & Collector of Falling Stars.
Galactic Stone & Ironworks - Buy/Sell/Trade Meteorites, Moon Rocks, Mars Rocks, & 35 different falls and types!
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Steve Saturn
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/10/03
Posts: 1011
Loc: San Diego, CA
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Hi Mike,
Thanks for the reply! Don't worry, I'm not disappointed by your thoughts that they're of terrestrial origin  . Although you can't really tell by the photo, they're all pretty flat (less than a 1/4" thick). That seemed unlikely to me for something that might have fallen from the sky.
They're all quite heavy for their size and were found within a 50 foot radius. I do think that they're naturally occurring though, since I found them walking around in a god forsaken spot in the middle of nowhere.
Steve
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Celestron 11" XLT
Hyperstar
TMB 80/480
Losmandy G11/Gemini
QHY8 Camera
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meteorite
Vendor (meteorites)
Reged: 01/28/06
Posts: 201
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Hello Steve,
I concur with Mike. They look like meteor"wrongs" to me!
No magnetic attraction, no meteorite. There are a few meteorites which have little, if any magnetic attraction, but they are ultra rare and are primarily silicates
Sorry :-(
-Walter Branch
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GSO 10 inch Dob
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Steve Saturn
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/10/03
Posts: 1011
Loc: San Diego, CA
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No problem Walter. I look forward to receiving the real one :^)
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Celestron 11" XLT
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Jamie76
professor emeritus
Reged: 10/30/05
Posts: 583
Loc: Northern Wisconsin
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That one bubbly looking one could be hematite. I didn't realize Walter Branch was a member of CN. I used to be a visitor to the meteorite forum on Meteorite Central but there was too much bickering. I remember your posts as being very informative.
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Steve Saturn
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/10/03
Posts: 1011
Loc: San Diego, CA
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Hi Jamie,
Thanks for the reply!
I don't know my hematite from a hole in the ground, but I'll definitely Google it and take a look. Thanks for the tip!
Steve
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Celestron 11" XLT
Hyperstar
TMB 80/480
Losmandy G11/Gemini
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2061
Loc: Central Coast, California
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A quick test for hematite: take a piece of unglazed porcelain tile (the back side of most tiles usually works) and try to scratch it with the sample. If it's hematite, the sample will leave a distinctly red streak on the plate (no matter what color the bulk sample).
Clear skies.
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Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
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meteorite
Vendor (meteorites)
Reged: 01/28/06
Posts: 201
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Hi Jamie76,
Thanks very much!
Hi Molniyabeer,
Yep, that's the test for hematite. The unglazed underside of a toilet tank cover works well 
-Walter Branch
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GSO 10 inch Dob
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Steve Saturn
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/10/03
Posts: 1011
Loc: San Diego, CA
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Thanks guys. I'm gonna pull the lid off my toilet tank when I get home! 
Steve
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Celestron 11" XLT
Hyperstar
TMB 80/480
Losmandy G11/Gemini
QHY8 Camera
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molniyabeer
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 01/08/05
Posts: 2061
Loc: Central Coast, California
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http://meteorites.wustl.edu/meteorwrongs
Try this link for more "could this be a meteorite" info and pics. Neat stuff.
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Steve
16" Meade LightBridge (Beowulf)
10" Hardin DSH, StarMax 127mm Mak, PST H-a
Oberwerk 11 x 70 binocs, Tasco 10 x 50 binocs
Santa Maria Clear Sky Clock
Figueroa Mt Clear Sky Clock
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Steve Saturn
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 10/10/03
Posts: 1011
Loc: San Diego, CA
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Great website. Thanks!
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Celestron 11" XLT
Hyperstar
TMB 80/480
Losmandy G11/Gemini
QHY8 Camera
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