Why this rock is probably not a meteorite:
This one is intriguing. It's mostly iron metal and, consequently,
it's magnetic. But the metal grains are rounded, and rounded
metal grains don't usually occur in meteorites*.
When analyzed, the metal was mainly iron, but there was no detectable
nickel. Metal in meteorites contains at least 5% nickel.
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What is it?
This object was found in the Mississippi River. Almost certainly,
it's man-made, probably some kind of slag. We have received
many pieces of slag that the finder thought might be a meteorite.
*One viewer of this page did want me to mention (with good reason)
that this thing resembles a very rare type of meteorite known as
a Bencubbinite or CB chondrite. See
photo of
Gujba here.
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