Why this rock is probably not a meteorite:
Is that a fusion crust? Are those holes? These two rocks sure have
funny shapes, with protroberances and sharp ridges. If you've gotten
this far, you probably think I'm going to say that there not meteorites.
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What is it?
For comparison with the last one, these are two specimens of the large
(> 40 tons) Campo
del Cielo iron meteorite from Argentina. The first pieces of the
meteorite were found in the 16th century and pieces are still being
found. I bought these two fragments for a total of $318 on ebay.
This is what the fusion crust on an iron meteorite looks like. Metal
conducts heat better than silicate rock, thus the exterior of an iron
meteorite doesn't get as hot as that of a stony meteorite. Iron meteorites
typically have funny shapes, not at all aerodynamic like most stony
meteorites. Note that both of these "stones" have regmaglypts.
These depressions aren't nearly as deep as the holes in meteorwrong
no. 145. Note also that neither specimen is rusty.
Click on images for enlargements.
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