soliturkey.blogg.se - Meteorite identification pictures

#METEORITE IDENTIFICATION PICTURES HOW TO#

These magnets are widely available and can be found at most Home Depot hardware stores and Hobby Lobby craft stores.

Magnetic Response: in the "notes" section of the photo upload tool, please indicate the level of magnetic response to a neodymium magnet from: 0 to 10. Pictures should be sharp and each show the entire stone or sample and be clear enough to zoom in and see surface detail.

To Begin: use the "Choose image" button above to upload up to 5 high resolution pictures in good lighting from several angles. The initial $50 visual evaluation fee will be credited towards the $125 XRF analysis fee.

#METEORITE IDENTIFICATION PICTURES HOW TO#

Instructions on how to submit and pay for the XRF analysis fee, if the sample is accepted for physical submission, will be emailed along with the Preliminary Photo Evaluation Report. The XRF analysis fee, if the photo-vetted sample is accepted for physical analysis, is $125 per sample. You may submit up to 5 images of the same sample for evaluation. The fee for Preliminary Photo Evaluation of a suspected meteorite is: $50 per sample and is non-refundable. ***Please note, most samples are NOT approved for physical submission. Please refer to their site for additional information.Īlways keep in mind that rocks and minerals must be examined in person for proper identification.We do not accept physical samples without a preliminary visual (photo) inspection of a sample. These tips for identifying a meteorite were adapted from this excellent guide from the University of New Mexico Meteorite Museum. A dense rock that leaves a black or red streak probably contains the iron minerals magnetite or hematite, respectively, neither of which are typically found in meteorites.

Streak: if you scratch a meteorite on an unglazed ceramic surface, it should not leave a streak.

Bubbles: volcanic rocks or metallic slag on Earth often have bubbles or vesicles in them, but meteorites do not.

Light-colored crystals: Quartz is a common, light-colored crystal in Earth’s crust, but it is not found on other bodies in the solar system.

Fusion crust: stony meteorites typically have a thin crust on their surface where it melted as it passed through the atmosphere.

Instead, they have an irregular shape with unusual pits like finger prints in their surface called “regmaglypts.”

Unusual shape: iron-nickel meteorites are rarely rounded.

For “stony” meteorites, a magnet might not stick, but if you hang the magnet by a string, it will be attracted.

Magnetic: Since most meteorites contain metallic iron, a magnet will often stick to them.

Density: Meteorites are usually quite heavy for their size, since they contain metallic iron and dense minerals.

Meteorites have several properties that help distinguish them from other rocks: They are very rare, but many people find unusual rocks or pieces of metal and wonder if they might have found a meteorite. Meteorites are fragments of rock or metal that fall to Earth from space.