Is This A Meteorite?

[Flyinjeff]

Jeff M   Where can we find some info on the recent Hawaii find?

[Johnnysalami1957]

Still have the cookie?

[Jeff McClendon]

On 4/29/2020 at 3:49 PM, Flyinjeff said:

Jeff M   Where can we find some info on the recent Hawaii find?

just google silicates/quartz in meteorites.

[Snoball Solar System]

What you have there is a Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pie.  I recommend that you eat it, regardless of where you found it, since each pie is individually sealed for freshness.  (But then again, I can't even spell "Snowball", so don't take it from me.)

[geof_junk]

This video helps to eliminate most rocks.

....Link....

 

[GB_Amateur]

7 hours ago, geof_junk said:

This video helps to eliminate most rocks.

....Link....

 

I like this guy's demeanor.  I do have some nitpicking, though.  My question is: "how many true meteorites would get eliminated by his simple tests?"  Certainly some.

In particular, the 'weight' test is, IMO, the worst.  We see examples of that all the time here with things that aren't questioned as meteorites.  First off, it's actually density that matters.  Cork is low density, but a large ball of it is heavy.  Gold is very high density but small pieces of it (like many/most of us find) are light.  Worst of all, typical "is this a meteorite" questioners have no clue of how to determine either weight or density.  Throw in the cognitive bias and this test is worthless for them.

What I do like is his explanation of the fusion crust.  But I'm pretty sure that isn't required, and/or it can get eroded away with time.

The bottom line is that meteorites are rare to begin with, so if someone says "it's not a meteorite" they are very likely to be correct.  And there are so many kinds of meteorites that trying to simplify with even a long sequence of tests isn't foolproof.  Many 'experts' are unsure with unusual samples.

BTW, I like to find parallels/similarities between metal detecting techniques/experiences and other things.  Ring tabs (missing the beavertail) often hit a clean 16 TID on the ML Equinox.  (Yes, there are other clues.)  If I fail to dig because I think it's a worthless pulltab instead of a valuable gold ring, I'm going to be right somewhere (obviously rough estimate) 999/1000.

One last analogy.  Suppose I buy a lottery ticket for one of the multi-million dollar progressives.  The winning number is posted and it matches mine.  But the chances of matching on a single ticket is one chance in hundreds of millions.  My matching ticket is surely a mistake/fake/trick then?

So, what is *my* proposed solution?  There is no perfect solution, but finding a knowledgeable person (meaning someone who specializes in meteorites) and showing it to him/her is a good path to take.  Or buy a well-written book on the subject (such as one of these) and educate yourself.  Difficult?  In most cases, yes.  If you're looking for 'easy' then toss it in the creek.