I have a question about meteorites,?

Question

I have a lump of very heavy rock like material that apparently has ben heated to the point where some of it has burned away.Is there any 'thumb nail' test I can use to determine if this is really a meteorite or not? If not then where can I get a reliable answer?

Answer 1

Here are some good websites. I HATE when people ask questions which can be answered by simply searching on Google!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hEjDO3io...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NqMGzgV6...

http://www.star-bits.com/ID.htm

Answer 2

Take it to a Geologist's laboratory and test it. If he is good, you'll get to know whether its origin is terrestial or not.

Answer 3

The most reliable way would be to show it to an actual geologist. Geologists have identification of rocks down to an art, and should easily be able to tell an obvious meteorite apart from a terrestrial rock, even a lava impact rock. If you contact your local university's geology section, you might be able to garner enough interest to have someone take a look at the rock. Some government agencies may also employ geologists who'll do this sort of thing for you.