Any Meteorite Experts out there?

[steppenwolf]

The enclosed face and reverse images are what a good friend of mine has very good reason to believe are an 18g meteorite that hit his tile roof last week braking three clay roof tiles. Can anyone confirm?

[John]

I've built up a number of meteorite collections in the past Steve but it's very hard to tell whether something is meteoric in origin without a lab analysis.

It looks a little like a carboniferous chondrite type - I used to have some samples of one that fell in Australia called Murchison which looked rather like your friends sample. Here is a web page from that country on identification and there is a picture of Murchison about 3/4 of the way down:

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

The Natural History Museum might be interested but another contact would be David Bryant who runs the UK company "Space Rocks". David was a speaker at the NLO Astro Fair at Sidmouth this summer and is quite an expert. Here is his website:

David Bryant's Space Rocks! Meteorites for sale. Buy meteorites, sikhote alin, canyon diablo, barwell, tektites, moldavites, pallasites, impactites from the UK's Number 1

Hope that helps. If it is a meteorite and a caboniferous chondrite it would be the only UK fall of this type known - and very valuable too !.

Edited December 12, 2011 by John

[steppenwolf]

Thank you for such a comprehensive answer, John, much appreciated.

If it is a meteorite and a caboniferous chondrite it would be the only UK fall of this type known - and very valuable too !.

That is what my friend is hoping as to our lay inspection, that is what we believe it to be!

[Psychobilly]

Exciting Stuff Good luck with the ID

Edited December 12, 2011 by Psychobilly

[steppenwolf]

Thanks, Peter, early days but everything appears to fit together correctly right now, even down to hearing the strike!

[barkis]

Have a close look in a Microscope Steve.

See if anything like this is perched on it.

Nasa Astrobiologist Richard B. Hoover at the Marshall Spaceflight Centre, is convinced absolute signs of LIFE have been found on a Carboniferous Chondrite Meteorite..

Ron.

Edited December 12, 2011 by barkis

[Peter Drew]

Make sure to photograph the tile damage, all helps with the provinance!

Good luck.

[steppenwolf]

We have photographs of the tile damage - thanks for checking, Peter.

[steppenwolf]

Hi Ron, the microscope sounds good but right now we are being careful not to handle it too much!

[John]

We have photographs of the tile damage - thanks for checking, Peter.

If it is confirmed as a meteorite expect dealers to arrive and offer to buy the roof tiles and pay to have them replaced. The Park Forest fall in Illinois a few years back caused mayhem for the residents for a while !.

A meteorite that strikes something man made is known as a "hammer stone" and it adds to the appeal. The "impact crater" will be in demand !.

[steppenwolf]

This is just soo exciting - let's hope it doesn't turn out to be pug from a neighbour's chimney!! Just joking, it isn't pug ..........

[Earl]

All rather cool stuff it will be interesting to see how this pans out!

[Azureus]

How did it turn out ? 

[steppenwolf]

8 hours ago, Azureus said:

How did it turn out ? 

Sadly not a meteorite!

[Guest]

1 hour ago, steppenwolf said:

Sadly not a meteorite!

That's a bummer.  Kinda looks like a piece of tarmac.😮

[Gina]

Wonder what it was and where it came from then!