If you've ever found an odd rock and think it could be a meteorite, you're not alone. Every year, thousands of odd rocks are found by ranchers, farmers, hunters, and others. And they all think they're potentially meteorites. But the cold hard truth is less than 1% is actually going to be a meteorite. So here are some tests you can do in the field to see if you have a potential meteorite or a definite meteor wrong. Here are some tests you can do before you bother a university or lab with your rock. You will need a magnet, a grinder, and a magnifying glass. The grinder can either be a diamond file or a spinning grinder bit on a portable drill for the field. Now, on to the tests. The first test is the magnet test. This is where we will test the stone for its ferrous component using a magnet. The second test is the surface test, also known as the texture test, where we will look at the surface of the stone to see if it has meteoritic features. The third test is the window test, where we are going to grind a window or a flat spot onto the rock so that we can see inside the rock to see its matrix. Now, let's move on to number one. Because meteorites have iron, they attract a magnet. Now, you need to find or buy a decent magnet. The flexible ones that have ads on them are very poor. Fridge magnets are better as long as they're the fixed stiff magnets. Rare-earth magnets are the best. They are small, tiny circular buttons that look like lithium batteries. They have the highest Gauss rating for attracting metal. Ideally, you want to hang a magnet on a string...
Award-winning PDF software
Video instructions and help with filling out and completing How Form 8865 Identifying
