Hi all, some of my farm machinery has magnets inside the wheel so that a speed sensor can acuratelly measure the ground speed. On these magnets acumulates soil and small stone particles. I have removed these and taken a photo of the largest of them. Does anyone know where I can send these to find out if they are terrestrial or meteorite?
These have built up over a few years when boomspraying my 1600 acre farm many times.
Hi Lester - this could be interesting!
I have just gotten into meteorites (I just purchased some) - these site may help? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteorite
ttp://www.meteoriticalsociety.org/simple_template.cfm?code=home_intro &CFID=11828443&CFTOKEN=35590306
A couple of thing I remember -
A lot ate found on farms!
Most meteorite are magnetic
They could / should have blackening and some kind of melt
Hi Matt and Jacquie, thanks for your replies. I would like to find somewhere within Australia to get these authenticated. I have also read that if meteorites are found in S.A. and W.A. they remain the property of the state government, the other states the finder can own them. Well that dampens my enthusiasm for looking for meteorites that some @###$$ nice department can claim as theirs from outerspace. I may try a phone call to the Adelaide Museum and see what I can find out.
An analytical laboratory can test the the samples for Nickel using X-ray spectroscopy.
The presence of Nickel is a sure sign the sample is a meteorite.
Telling the laboratory what to look for and how to test it will also reduce costs.
An analytical laboratory can test the the samples for Nickel using X-ray spectroscopy.
The presence of Nickel is a sure sign the sample is a meteorite.
Telling the laboratory what to look for and how to test it will also reduce costs.
Regards
Steven
Ok .. I'll be the donkey … why is the presence of Nickel a 'sure sign' it is a meteorite ?
Cheers
Ok .. I'll be the donkey … why is the presence of Nickel a 'sure sign' it is a meteorite ?
Cheers
Craig,
Nickel content in iron meteorites varies from about 5 to over 20%. This differentiates from man made iron objects where the nickel content is zero. Naturally occurring iron as an element is very rare as are Iron Nickel deposits.
A test for Nickel is the most conclusive test available for Iron and stony iron meteorite identification.
The fact that Lester is also picking up soil on the magnets is not a good sign. If Neodymium magnets are being used these can pick up hematite, which suggests the small stones may be basaltic in origin.
A specific gravity test would help here, but a test for Nickel is the way to go.
Nickel content in iron meteorites varies from about 5 to over 20%. This differentiates from man made iron objects where the nickel content is zero. Naturally occurring iron as an element is very rare as are Iron Nickel deposits.
A test for Nickel is the most conclusive test available for Iron and stony iron meteorite identification.
The fact that Lester is also picking up soil on the magnets is not a good sign. If Neodymium magnets are being used these can pick up hematite, which suggests the small stones may be basaltic in origin.
A specific gravity test would help here, but a test for Nickel is the way to go.
Regards
Steven
Thanks Steven .. interesting ..
I've just been doing some more reading on this. Wiki mentions that by applying a chemical test on the proportions of Ga, Ge and Ir, they can further classify iron meteorites into classes corresponding to distinct asteroid parent bodies! Eg: the best candidate for a Class IIE iron meteorite is 6 Hebe !
.. Interesting stuff !
Good luck Lester .. I'll be interested to see what comes of it .. let us know!
Nickel content in iron meteorites varies from about 5 to over 20%. This differentiates from man made iron objects where the nickel content is zero. Naturally occurring iron as an element is very rare as are Iron Nickel deposits.
A test for Nickel is the most conclusive test available for Iron and stony iron meteorite identification.
The fact that Lester is also picking up soil on the magnets is not a good sign. If Neodymium magnets are being used these can pick up hematite, which suggests the small stones may be basaltic in origin.
A specific gravity test would help here, but a test for Nickel is the way to go.
Regards
Steven
Hi Steven,
Can I please ask a question?
Recently I watched a documentary and the guy on it said that if you put an empty bucket with a magnet in it under a down pipe, when it rains, the rain will wash down the meteorite bits into the bucket which the magnet will attract. He didn't mention anything about getting authenticity on them. I was going to try this. Will they be meteorites or would I still have to prove authenticity? Thanks.
Hi Steven,
Can I please ask a question?
Recently I watched a documentary and the guy on it said that if you put an empty bucket with a magnet in it under a down pipe, when it rains, the rain will wash down the meteorite bits into the bucket which the magnet will attract. He didn't mention anything about getting authenticity on them. I was going to try this. Will they be meteorites or would I still have to prove authenticity? Thanks.
Hi Suzy,
The advantage for looking for micrometeorites washed out of your down pipe is that it will be far less contaminated with material that can be mistaken for micrometeorites.
So it's highly probable that the magnetic particles washed out of your down pipe are micrometeorites. To be 100% certain however it would need to be checked for Nickel.
The rock has a "fusion crust" and is highly magnetic.
The X-ray spectrometer reveals it is nothing more than a piece of basalt.
Apart from the lack of Nickel, the real killer is the presence of Silicon in the form of silicates (the Si Ka peak) which is terrestial in origin.
Regards
Steven
Last edited by sjastro; 06-03-2011 at 12:15 PM.
Reason: spelling
We might have to take bets on that one .. give it a go, Suzy.
I guess it depends on what materials your roof is made from. I have a lot of gal steel used in my roof; my guttering and downpipes are made from the same material. If there was micrometeorite material in the runoff, it would be heavily polluted with contaminants, so I guess I'd be looking for the proverbial needle-in-the haystack …
Separating the real stuff from the pollutant would be the main issue .. (ie: deciding what to send to the labs would be the main issue …??...)
We might have to take bets on that one .. give it a go, Suzy.
I guess it depends on what materials your roof is made from. I have a lot of gal steel used in my roof; my guttering and downpipes are made from the same material. If there was micrometeorite material in the runoff, it would be heavily polluted with contaminants, so I guess I'd be looking for the proverbial needle-in-the haystack …
Separating the real stuff from the pollutant would be the main issue .. (ie: deciding what to send to the labs would be the main issue …??...)
Cheers
That's were a magnet comes into good use Craig.
If you were getting galavanized material plus bare metal in the contamination, I think a new roof would be in order.
That's were a magnet comes into good use Craig.
If you were getting galavanized material plus bare metal in the contamination, I think a new roof would be in order.
Regards
Steven
Well I know finding micrometeorites might be fun, but I didn't know it would result in my having to replace my entire roof !!
I mean, I know astrophotography is an expensive past-time (for example), but looking for rocks seems to go way beyond that !!
This is no longer just an interesting past-time …. this is serious !!!
As an example, if I was to go and stick a magnet into the dirt outside my house, I'd end up with the magnet being heavily covered in what would probably amount to 'iron filings' (after analysis). I have no idea what the source really is .. but the evidence exists.
How can I pick out the samples (for analysis) from all of that?
As an example, if I was to go and stick a magnet into the dirt outside my house, I'd end up with the magnet being heavily covered in what would probably amount to 'iron filings' (after analysis). I have no idea what the source really is .. but the evidence exists.
How can I pick out the samples (for analysis) from all of that?
We need a home-style nickel detector !
Cheers
That's why it's better to collect them off your roof via the down pipe- less contaminants.
Steven, thanks so much for all your help.
I'm going to buy myself a bug u shaped magnet .
Craig you should join me in this experiment Now, I'll be hoping for rain - just plain wrong isn't it?
As an example, if I was to go and stick a magnet into the dirt outside my house, I'd end up with the magnet being heavily covered in what would probably amount to 'iron filings' (after analysis). I have no idea what the source really is .. but the evidence exists.
How can I pick out the samples (for analysis) from all of that?
We need a home-style nickel detector !
Cheers
Craig and Suzy,if I drag a magnet across my Paddock it gets lots of browny metal bits on it ,I no need to dig into the ground.
Where do the bits come from except maybe above
