Geology, Geodes, Fossils & Meteorites

[Ken S.]

Are there others in this community that interested in this topic. I looked under
Hobbies, Interests & Entertainment but found nothing. Would like to start a media Folder of photos of all three types of rocks (Igneous [i.e. Granites,Agates & Obsidians) Metamorphic [i.e. Marbles & Tiger eye] and Sedimentary[i.e Cherts including flint. Limestones, Shales]) Fossils of any type, Geodes and even meteor fragments. I will be posting photo examples of all the fore-mentioned from my own collection within the next couple of days. Please let me know if you would like to contribute. by adding your own photos.

 

[Joel I]

I did geology at university ages ago and used to have a little rock collection. Unfortunately I've moved to many times to keep the collection and have forgotten alot of geology but I do find it interesting.

 

[Shamar]

Are there others in this community that interested in this topic. I looked under
Hobbies, Interests & Entertainment but found nothing. Would like to start a media Folder of photos of all three types of rocks (Igneous [i.e. Granites,Agates & Obsidians) Metamorphic [i.e. Marbles & Tiger eye] and Sedimentary[i.e Cherts including flint. Limestones, Shales]) Fossils of any type, Geodes and even meteor fragments. I will be posting photo examples of all the fore-mentioned from my own collection within the next couple of days. Please let me know if you would like to contribute. by adding your own photos.

I'm a retired geologist. I have lots of minerals and fossils, mostly packed away. I also have a 50+ specimen meteorite collection.

 

[SusanLR]

Saw the title of the post and attracted my attention.
Yes, I have quite the rock collection and meteorites also. Fossils, too.
Subject of interest to me.
Look forward to seeing type of photos you are looking for.

 

[Bolletje]

I used to collect fossils and rocks as a kid. Still have the collection somewhere in my attic.

 

[Mary Terry]

This is a cool idea. I collect rocks and fossils, too. My parents said that when I was small, I called them "instant rocks" because I couldn't pronounce the word "interesting".

It's off point but I also have a huge collection of Indian arrowheads, spear points, mortars and pestles, and various tools like axes and awls. Almost all of them were found here on our property at a location known for at least 100 years as the Arrowhead Hill. It was well known in our area that high hill was used by Native Americans. Old people used to say there was big Indian battle there but I think they camped there as there was a significant Indian agency/trading post about 1/2 mile away from here in the 1700's and 1800's.

I have a small rock that I believe is a meteorite. It is incredibly heavy and dense for its size, and the guy who gave it to me about 40 years ago said he found it on the banks of the Mississippi River near Memphis, TN. If I can figure out how to post a photo here, would anyone be able to identify whether it is a meteorite just from the photo?

 

[Mia]

Have a fossil collection as well, that is ongoing, have a rock hammer that I carry most of the summer in my backpack just in case. Grandfather collected minerals and rocks, have yet to identify many of them, when he worked on the railway as a locomotive engineer he picked up stones, minerals and rock everywhere he traveled.

 

[Mary Terry]

Have a fossil collection as well, that is ongoing, have a rock hammer that I carry most of the summer in my backpack just in case. Grandfather collected minerals and rocks, have yet to identify many of them, when he worked on the railway as a locomotive engineer he picked up stones, minerals and rock everywhere he traveled.

Your grandfather's collection sounds awesome. There are numerous gravel pits or mines near us where I find geodes, fossils, petrified wood and all kinds of things. I take a rock hammer when I go rock hunting there. This area was ocean floor a zillion years ago so the marine fossils are plentiful. I find shark teeth in our creeks.

 

[Autistamatic]

This is something that has always fascinated me, particularly fossils and meteorites, but my limited mobility means trips to find such things are not a practical possibility. I look forward to seeing people's photos

 

[Shamar]

This is a cool idea. I collect rocks and fossils, too. My parents said that when I was small, I called them "instant rocks" because I couldn't pronounce the word "interesting".

It's off point but I also have a huge collection of Indian arrowheads, spear points, mortars and pestles, and various tools like axes and awls. Almost all of them were found here on our property at a location known for at least 100 years as the Arrowhead Hill. It was well known in our area that high hill was used by Native Americans. Old people used to say there was big Indian battle there but I think they camped there as there was a significant Indian agency/trading post about 1/2 mile away from here in the 1700's and 1800's.

I have a small rock that I believe is a meteorite. It is incredibly heavy and dense for its size, and the guy who gave it to me about 40 years ago said he found it on the banks of the Mississippi River near Memphis, TN. If I can figure out how to post a photo here, would anyone be able to identify whether it is a meteorite just from the photo?

Just from a photo? Probably not. A few things to check. Does it have bubbles? If yes, definitely not a meteorite. Does it appear to have glass? Very probably not, although stony-iron types have olivine which can look like glass. Will it attract a magnet? Possibly a meteorite; nearly all meteorites are attracted to a magnet, some slightly, some very strongly. Smooth off a corner and look at the inside. Many meteorites have visible metal, others may have a distinct structure. Use a diamond abrasive, such as a Dremel (or similar) blade, a diamond knife sharpener works well.
The vast majority of meteorites, usually referred to as "meteorwrongs" that people find turn out to be slag from iron smelting or similar. Be very careful of buying from Ebay or similar; there are a lot of fakes there, some sincere but misidentified, some deliberate frauds. Buy from a reputable dealer, and make sure there is some sort of provenance from a know confirmed meteorite or a laboratory certified identification.

 

[Judge]

I'm a retired geologist. I have lots of minerals and fossils, mostly packed away. I also have a 50+ specimen meteorite collection.

Cool. I'm not a collector or enthusiast myself, but hey...that very recent news story about a meteorite hitting Western Cuba caught my ears.

A meteorite may have struck western Cuba, National Weather Service says - CNN

 

[Ken S.]

Saw the title of the post and attracted my attention.
Yes, I have quite the rock collection and meteorites also. Fos

This is a cool idea. I collect rocks and fossils, too. My parents said that when I was small, I called them "instant rocks" because I couldn't pronounce the word "interesting".

It's off point but I also have a huge collection of Indian arrowheads, spear points, mortars and pestles, and various tools like axes and awls. Almost all of them were found here on our property at a location known for at least 100 years as the Arrowhead Hill. It was well known in our area that high hill was used by Native Americans. Old people used to say there was big Indian battle there but I think they camped there as there was a significant Indian agency/trading post about 1/2 mile away from here in the 1700's and 1800's.

I have a small rock that I believe is a meteorite. It is incredibly heavy and dense for its size, and the guy who gave it to me about 40 years ago said he found it on the banks of the Mississippi River near Memphis, TN. If I can figure out how to post a photo here, would anyone be able to identify whether it is a meteorite just from the photo?

Meteorites usually have iron in them. A strong magnet will stick to or pick it up. I will be finished editing photos and uploading tomorrow. Arrowheads and other stone tools would be cool. Even photos of granite and other rock formations. It doesn't have to just be limited to already collected stones.

 

[Ken S.]

I'm a retired geologist. I have lots of minerals and fossils, mostly packed away. I also have a 50+ specimen meteorite collection.

Awesome. It would be nice to hear from a professional. Most of mine are sedimentary cherts found locally around fresh road cuts on the sides of the hills here in south central Texas but have some other types from visits to granite quarries and mountain ranges near Denver & Mt.Shasta.

 

[Shamar]

Cool. I'm not a collector or enthusiast myself, but hey...that very recent news story about a meteorite hitting Western Cuba caught my ears.

A meteorite may have struck western Cuba, National Weather Service says - CNN

They hit all the time, we usually just don't notice them unless they hit something. It is estimated that 35,000 to 85,00 tons of material falls to Earth each year, the vast majority being dust. around 3 to 7 tons of meteorites in the 10 gram to 1 kilo range fall each year.
Some years ago, the was a guy in Tucson who hiked the same trail every day as his morning walk. One day he saw a fist size rock he was sure was not there the day before. Turned out to be a meteorite that fell the previous night.

 

[Ken S.]

Out here where there is no artificial light 24/7 You can see them frequently burning through the night sky when it's not heavily overcast.

 

[Mary Terry]

Just from a photo? Probably not. A few things to check. Does it have Bubbles? If yes, definitely not a meteorite. Does it appear to have glass? Very probably not, although stony-iron types have olivine which can look like glass. Will it attract a magnet? Possibly a meteorite; nearly all meteorites are attracted to a magnet, some slightly, some very strongly. Smooth off a corner and look at the inside. Many meteorites have visible metal, others may have a distinct structure. Use a diamond abrasive, such as a Dremel (or similar) blade, a diamond knife sharpener works well.
The vast majority of meteorites, usually referred to as "meteorwrongs" that people find turn out to be slag from iron smelting or similar. Be very careful of buying from Ebay or similar; there are a lot of fakes there, some sincere but misidentified, some deliberate frauds. Buy from a reputable dealer, and make sure there is some sort of provenance from a know confirmed meteorite or a laboratory certified identification.

 

[Mary Terry]

I'll ask hubby to help me photograph it and post here.

It doesn't have bubbles as I would think of them but it has several smooth indentations of irregular shape so maybe I'm unclear what bubbles would look like. I do know what bubbles look like in slag.
There is no appearance of glass.
It is only slightly attracted to a magnet. (Glad to use my refrigerator art for something useful!)
There are several places where the outer "shell" is removed to expose underlying rock that clearly contains iron. It is "rusted" in appearance and color.
It has what I'd call an outer skin of smooth, melted rock almost black in color. The places where that outer shell have worn off or were removed are also dark in color like the outside, but they are rusted.
It is shaped like a large almond, over 2 inches in length and about an inch in diameter.
It is very heavy for its size.

I know what you're saying about slag. I had an uncle who was a geophysicist who taught me a lot. He worked in the copper industry all over the world. I lived in Utah for many years and liked to hike around old mining operations. I have some cool examples of slag from the old Kennecott smelter near Salt Lake City, old mining operations in Tooele, Utah, and elsewhere, including some from abandoned mines in southern Utah and Nevada. I probably glow in the dark from hiking around the uranium mining areas of Colorado back in college. LOL

 

[china autie]

I like all that stuff.

 

[Mia]

Maine, freshwater stream. 2012

 

[Tom]

Always liked that stuff. Did a bit of rock and fossil hunting at times. Got a small set of fossils this past Christmas including my first (partial) Trilobite.