[meteorite-list] Help me solve a mystery - NWA mystery

From: j.divelbiss_at_att.net <j.divelbiss_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:31:28 2004
Message-ID: <022620042259.14963.7be2_at_att.net>

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Bernhard, Adam and others:

I saw this stone, and a hundred or more like it in Edwin Thompson's room at the
Inn Suites. To me they looked like water worn stones also, most were noticeably
paramagnetic with the exception of some that were less...like the one you got
from Steve.

I saw this particular stone in Tucson (Steve showed me) and I think that he got
from ET also. My impression was it was a water worn LL or L6. Especially after I
saw the entire batch in a tray in Edwin's room. I myself went through these
oddly shaped stones and found a few that had nice chondrules. I bought one that
was also oddly shaped with folds, etc. and cut it, and sure enough it has
chondrules...but it is more like a H4 (strongly paramagnetic).

Could regular rocks be mixed in ET's group that included real meteorites like
the one I got, possibly...or these were all found in an area that had conditions
that created such oddly shaped meteorites.

They are strange looking...but is yours(Steve's) an achondrite???...I don't
think so,

John





    


Hi,
 
app. 2 weeks ago, Steve Arnold (Illinois) sold a "mystery NWA" on ebay.
This is the text that came with the auction (as often with Steve, no
pic):
 
"Up here for auction is a mystery.This is a 134.9 gram whole stone that
has been cut by AL LANG.It is a unclassified NWA mystery stone.I had bob
haag,richard norton,al lang,ed thompson,blaine reed, and a few others
give thier opinion on what it might be.No one knows.It has a very rich
dark brown matrix.Very few or none at all with chondrules.High in metal,
but it pulls very weakly even with a strong magnet.You can be the lucky
winner of this mystery stone and you can try and get it classified.It
measures 6.5 cm x 5.2 cm x 3.8 cm.I will start the bidding at $1.00.
Good luck."
 
Well, I bidded and won the item. Today it arrived. I had a closer look
at it, took some photographs and am looking for your expertise now.
 
Let me describe the tactile impressions: The item is feels pretty cold
when you hold it, and it has about the right weight for a meteorite of
this size. However: the outside feels quite "soft", more like an
ordinary stone than a meteorite, like a pebble that has been in the
water.
 
There is indeed a lot of metal visible from the outside, but on the cut
surface, the deeper you go inside, the less metal you find. A close
examination with a 10x magnification showed no chondrules at all, at
least for me.
 
Here are three photos of the object (they are quite large in order to
reveal more details). I have brightened the photos and added some
contrast and some mild sharpening, but I'd say they are true to the
visual appearance of the object:
 
http://metcollector.rendelius.com/mystery1.jpg
http://metcollector.rendelius.com/mystery2.jpg
http://metcollector.rendelius.com/mystery3.jpg
 
So - what's your impression? Is it a meteorite at all? What is it?
 
Bernhard


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<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dus-ascii">
<TITLE>Nachricht</TITLE>

<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1400" name=3DGENERATOR></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>Hi,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>app. 2 =
weeks ago,=20
Steve Arnold (Illinois) sold a "mystery NWA" on ebay. This is the text =
that came=20
with the auction (as often with Steve, no pic):</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004>"Up here for auction is a =
mystery.This is a=20
134.9 gram whole stone that has been cut by AL LANG.It is a unclassified =
NWA=20
mystery stone.I had bob haag,richard norton,al lang,ed thompson,blaine =
reed, and=20
a few others give thier opinion on what it might be.No one knows.It has =
a very=20
rich dark brown matrix.Very few or none at all with chondrules.High in =
metal,=20
but it pulls very weakly even with a strong magnet.You can be the lucky =
winner=20
of this mystery stone and you can try and get it classified.It measures =
6.5 cm x=20
5.2 cm x 3.8 cm.I will start the bidding at $1.00. Good =
luck."</SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Well, =
I bidded and=20
won the item. Today it arrived. I had a closer look at it, took some =
photographs=20
and am looking for your expertise now.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Let me =
describe the=20
tactile impressions: The item is feels pretty cold when you hold it, and =
it has=20
about the right weight for a meteorite of this size. However: the =
outside feels=20
quite "soft", more like an ordinary stone than a meteorite, like a =
pebble that=20
has been in the water.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>There =
is indeed a=20
lot of metal visible from the outside, but on the cut surface, the =
deeper you go=20
inside, the less metal you find. A close examination with a 10x =
magnification=20
showed no chondrules at all, at least for me. </FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>Here =
are three=20
photos of the object (they are quite large in order to reveal more =
details). I=20
have brightened the photos and added some contrast and some mild =
sharpening, but=20
I'd say they are true to the visual appearance of the=20
object:</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://metcollector.rendelius.com/mystery1.jpg">http://metcollect=
or.rendelius.com/mystery1.jpg</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://metcollector.rendelius.com/mystery2.jpg">http://metcollect=
or.rendelius.com/mystery2.jpg</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><A=20
href=3D"http://metcollector.rendelius.com/mystery3.jpg">http://metcollect=
or.rendelius.com/mystery3.jpg</A></FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2>So - =
what's your=20
impression? Is it a meteorite at all? What is it?</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2></FONT></SPAN>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3D390122321-26022004><FONT face=3DArial=20
size=3D2>Bernhard</FONT></SPAN></DIV></BODY></HTML>

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Received on Thu 26 Feb 2004 05:59:55 PM PST


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