Help with a meteorite

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

Hi all,

Looking for a bit of help with the following:

I believe I have a meteorite that has been in the family for approaching 100 years (my Grandmother used it as a doorstop for about 30 of those...).  Back when I was at college in the 90's the geology lecturer tested this and also believed it to be a meteorite.  I'd like to get it officially recorded, my Mum has the info about it being found and I keep pestering her about writing it down.  It landed on the Blackdown Hills in the late 1920's, my great Grandfather was a gardener and this was found smashed through one of the cold frames where he worked.

I've included some photos, the meteorite is around 100mm in length and 60mm across and seems to be about 700g or so, it's mostly brown with reddish hues.  Any advice would be great.

[Rustang]

It looks like a jacket potato 😊

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

Just now, Rustang said:

It looks like a jacket potato

An overcooked one!

[Rustang]

Just now, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

An overcooked one!

😆 

Hopefully someone has some info for you 👍

[Greymouser]

Fascinating story, whatever the outcome! Not jealous at all...

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

7 minutes ago, Rustang said:

It looks like a jacket potato

It does also resemble a giant bum nugget.  Not sure I'd want to pass it though.

[John]

To get it tested you will need to send a sample to a recognised meteorite analysis lab such as the Natural History Museum. There is more information here including a few initial basic tests you can do yourself:

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/natureplus/community/identification/blog/tags/how_to.html

The only way to be sure that it is of extra-terrestrial origin is to have a sample analysed by an accredited lab.

99% of things referred to them are not meteorites though.

 

 

 

 

 

[Zummerzet_Leveller]

29 minutes ago, John said:

To get it tested you will need to send a sample to a recognised meteorite analysis lab such as the Natural History Museum.

Thanks John.  That's what I thought, just didn't fancy going to the effort if it's clearly not a meteorite.  It certainly meets two of the indicators on the website but I haven't tested it with a magnet.  One for my next visits to my parents.

I am curious about it as I've never seen anything else like it.

Edited December 19, 2021 by Zummerzet_Leveller
Poor ingerlish...

[John]

1 minute ago, Zummerzet_Leveller said:

Thanks John.  That's what I thought, just didn't fancy going to the effort if it's clearly not a meteorite.  It certainly meets two of the indicators on the website but I haven't tested it with a magnet.  One for my next visits to my parents.

I am curious about as I've never seen anything else like it.

It does look a bit like some of the stony meteorites that come out of north africa. If you cut and polish it it might reveal a chondritic structure like this example known as North West Africa 869:

http://www.meteorites.com.au/nwa869/