do i have a meteorite?

[roccop]

Hey everone,


question,


today i was on top of my Dads shed,


its a colourbond shed
quite big
now he has only had it for about 6 months


on top was nothing but a rock

its flat, oval shaped and dark caramel brown.


we dont have any kids in the area who could have thrown it to the shed as its not in range and i know we didnt put it there


its about the size of a 50cent


if we didnt put it there and nobody else did....could it have come from above?


how would i check?

[BerrieK]

Hi!

Perhaps a bird dropped it. SOme birds, like crows, use stones as tools. Not sure which ones fly around carrying them around though.

Good luck finding the origin of your rock.

Kerrie:)

[jjjnettie]

Could you post a picture of the specimen please? From a couple of different angles would be very good. A metric ruler placed next to it would give us an idea of the size too.
Is it metallic or stoney?
Does it have any sort of indentations on the surface?

[marki]

Was there a big dent in the roof? :)

[Baddad]

I think BerrieK has the right idea. I have seen crows carry off stones and bones.

However I have seen in Arizona photos of "soft" meteorite landings.

Part of the article from: http://www.physics.smu.edu/jcotton/ph1311/ch04a.htm

The first one is called a "find" and the second is called a "fall." The term "fall" implies that the meteorite is recovered soon after it was observed falling. Funny thing - finds are about 80% irons while falls are about 95% stones. So 95% of what falls in stone but 80% of what gets found is iron! This is actually not mysterious. For a meteorite to get found, it must look different from the rocks in the area. An iron meteorite is almost guaranteed to do that. A stone meteorite can look a lot like any other rock, and someone not familiar with the appearance of meteorites will likely miss it.

[Chippy]

My guess would be from a crow (or other bird) as well. Not uncommon. Photos would be good though!

[space oddity]

First thing to check-is it attracted to a magnet? Iron meteorites will be strongly attracted to a magnet , stony ones will be mildly attracted to a magnet. Virtually ALL meteorites have some iron in them. If you are prepared to cut it and polish the cut surface, a meteorite will have a structure that looks distinctly different to regular rocks. The typical stony meteorite has a conglometation of spherical particles- not your typical earth rock. Iron meteorites are heavy , density around 8 grams per cubic centimetre (8 times water.) Do not expect to become a millionaire from your find :(. Unclassified NWA stony meteorites go for 10 US cents per gram on ebay (try Dean's in NZ - I have several lots of his stony meteorites.)

[GrahamL]

I once had a currawong steal my red underpants off the cloths line ..
they are mad for red stuff ..the wife made quite a derogertory comment about the poor bugger struggling with the weight :(

[badchap]

'found a meteorite ?'

http://www.meteorites.com.au/found.html

[Baddad]

Hey Badchap,:) That's quite a good site you posted. :thumbsup: I have seen some similar items for sale in Arizona. Near the Meteor Crater.

Some retailers there are selling meteorite pieces for around $50 US per gram. At the actual National Park, operated by the government tourist service its only 50c per gram.

Americans!

Cheers Marty

[space oddity]

Yes, some places will try to rip you off:(. Small fragments should cost very little. I have twice on ebay bought Nantan fragments (Nickel iron.) These packets of 200 grams or so should cost around US $ 20 or less plus postage.There are over 100 1-2mm fragments in such a packet. I give them to first timer child patients instead of a sticker. Gotta get them interested in all things astro early! :DYes, some adults get one too. I know I would have been over the moon if I was given a meteorite for behaving at the (establishment over which I now preside) as a kid. And you wonder why I am the space oddity.

[Blue Skies]

Ah, that's just reminded me of a good site I found once called Meteor Wrongs. (http://meteorites.wustl.edu/meteorwrongs/meteorwrongs.htm) It shows you lots and lots of examples of what is not a meteorite.