[meteorite-list] I know what it looks like. . .

From: Michael Murray <mikebevmurray_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2010 18:14:40 -0600
Message-ID: <32F02E1B-9198-4C3D-BE8E-2AC99BEFD91A_at_gmail.com>

Hi David, other interested list members,
The Lone Ranger could have been up there on that mountainside in those
woods, I don't know. If he had been, he would have probably had iron
on his hip, which sometimes while up in the thick timber by myself, I
wished I'd had on me. Pepper spray just doesn't seem to be the right
thing to have somehow. A 357 or a 32 Winchester Special would be
more comforting, if you know what I mean. And then too, what good is
a prospector's pick with a 16" handle. Probably not much. I doubt if
a mountain lion would care if his prey was carrying a 16" prospector's
pick or, for that matter, if he was swinging a metal detector, eh?

Anyway, by my reference to performing bulk density testing, I meant I
was following the steps mentioned in the Field Guide to Meteors and
Meteorites by O. Richard Norton and Lawrence A Chitwood. Page 254.
Step 1, weigh the specimen. Step 2, zero out the scale with a
container of water sitting on it. Step 3, weigh while specimen is
suspended in the water. Then divide the specimen weight by the
suspended specimen weight to get the g/cc. Once I had done this, I
compared the result with the chart in the Guide on page 253 just to be
sure I was somewhat correct in my testing. Looked to me that the
7.75g/cc was right in the ballpark for an iron but then I have to say
that I don't know fully what man-made iron average bulk density weight
is so it could be man-made just the same. From what I can read on the
net, man-made iron bulk density average should be comparable to an
iron meteorite bulk density average. My scale is a Palmscale 8, not
that that matters a whole lot but I believe it is a pretty accurate
little bugger.

All the best,
Mike in CO


On Oct 2, 2010, at 4:18 PM, David Gunning wrote:

>
> Hi Mike,
>
> Odd looking specimen you got there.
>
> If it's got a specific gravity of 7.75 it falls within the range of
> being
> a piece of iron (7.3 - 7.8).
>
> I am not sure what you mean when you say "after doing a bulk density
> weighing" and coming-up with "7.5g/cc". According to Professor
> Randy L.
> Kootev, an internet expert on these kinds of measurements: "In order
> to
> measure density, it is necessary to measure the volume of a rock.
> That's
> hard to do accurately".
>
> In any event, from the pictures you posted it reminds me of some
> sort of
> bullet mold.
>
> But what I don't understand is the nickel test reaction. But, then,
> there are many things I don't fully understand.
>
> Maybe King-o-sabi (the Lone Ranger) was casting silver bullets with
> it.
> Some chemical tests for silver can turn strongly red colored, and if
> there was a residue of Silver, who knows?
>
> Hi Ho Silver, Up, Up and Awayyyy!
>
> Best regards,
>
> Dave Gunning
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________
> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing-list-archives.html
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Received on Sat 02 Oct 2010 08:14:40 PM PDT