Sands,
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like it is NOT a meteorite, probably some kind of weathered slag. The exterior looks like a meteorite, but the internal pattern does not match that of a meteorite, and the chemical composition is way off. Too much silicon, far too much manganese, and no mention of nickel, which is critical for it to be a meteorite. If your friend doesn't trust the chemical analysis he had done, he could have it tested again, but unless the results were dramatically different it would not be considered a meteorite.
Here's the text of my various messages and responses, most recent at the top. I've deleted last names and contact info., just to keep that information off the Internet.
Don
*****************************************
Dear Don,
Peter forwarded your email to me for response. At first glance the rock
and weathering do look like an iron meteorite, but some slags can also look
like this. If that elemental composition is valid, it is not a meteorite as
you note. All iron meteorites have Ni and have a greater amount of Fe; and
don't have Mn and Si anywhere near those abundances. The internal textures
are not those of meteorites and also look like those of some types of slag.
So, if that composition is confirmed, nothing more need be done. The owner
could get a composition test done by sending a v. small bit of the metal to
any meteoriticist for the Ni test if any ambiguity exists in the current
data.
Have a productive day.
Cheers,
Alan
Canada Research Chair in Planetary Science
Coordinator of the Canadian Fireball Reporting Centre
Department of Geology and Geophysics
University of Calgary
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 5:31 PM
To: Alan
Subject: FW: Possible meteorite identification
Alan,
I believe Don is from Alberta (he used to make NLC reports) so
thought you might want to handle this one - it looks like a meteorite to me
!
Cheers,
Peter
-----Original Message-----
From: Don
Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2006 6:58 PM
To: Peter
Subject: Possible meteorite identification
Hello Dr. XXXXX,
My name is XXXXXX and I am a member of the RASC, though I must confess
that I could hardly be described as a very active member. However, I am
very involved in polishing stones with rock tumblers, and belong to a
internet group on rock tumbling.
Recently, a member who operates a lapidary store in Florida posted some
photos of a rock someone brought to him, claiming it was a meteorite. He
claims to have 40 lbs of these things, and asked this member to cut some
slices for him. No-one in the rock forum really knows if it is a
legitimate meteorite, so I thought I would turn to you for help, if you
would be so kind.
I am attaching a few pictures that the member posted of this rock, which he
says feels heavy like iron, with a piece the size of a softball weighing
about 8 pounds. The exterior has apparently been power-washed, and
the photos show the exterior as well as some of the slices taken from this
rock. I don't know who did the chemical analysis on the rock, but it is
said to be 60% Mn, 25% Si, 14% Fe, and the remainder carbon. The owner of
the material has received mixed messages as to whether it is really a
meteorite or not. The high manganese content makes me think it is not a
meteorite, but it would be wonderful if you could shed some light on this.
I will attach the link to the thread in the rock forum in case you want to
see additional pictures. I believe the forum is set up so that you can
read the posted information as a guest, but cannot actually post to the
forum unless you sign up.
forum.rocktumblinghobby.com/index.cgi?board=Pictures&action=display&thread=1137624098&page=1
Well, if you can shed light on this I would much appreciate it. Feel free
to email me directly or sign up to the rock group and respond
there. Thanks in anticipation,
Don
P.S. In the rock forum, I go by the name "Rollingstone", in case you wish
to identify responses I have made.