[meteorite-list] Fourth-grader Finds Meteorite in Florida?

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List, I have a geologist friend who knows meteorites go and see this "hot find" yesterday. As you all would suspect it is NOT a meteorite! Looks like a piece of slag. Regards, Fred Olsen

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Ron Baalke <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>
>
> 
> http://www.ocala.com/article/20071118/NEWS/211180344/1368/googlesitemapnews
> 
> Fourth-grader finds meteorite in yard
> BY KAREN VOYLES
> THE GAINESVILLE SUN (Florida)
> November 18, 2007
> 
> CEDAR KEY - A fourth-grader got a personal, hands-on lesson in
> meteorites earlier this week.
> 
> Jeremiah Barnes, 10, was the featured speaker in science classes at
> Cedar Key School Friday, where he explained how he saw the meteorite
> fall into his yard at the beginning of the week.
> 
> After seeing an object streak into the yard, Jeremiah told high school
> classes he initially thought one of his cousins had thrown something
> over the fence. After running over to the object and touching it,
> Jeremiah said he knew it was something extraordinary.
> 
> "It burned my finger so I ran in the house and got my sister," Jeremiah
> said.
> 
> After seeing a blister rise on her brother's index finger, Angel Neese,
> a 14-year-old ninth-grader, doused the object with water from the garden
> house. Brother and sister watched in fascination as the water being
> poured into the shoebox-sized hole made by the object instantly began
> boiling.
> 
> "It kind of looked like lava from a volcano, but then I remembered what
> we learned in [eighth-grade] science class. And I kind of thought it
> would be a meteorite," Angel said. After the object cooled, Angel
> pointed out the metals in it to her little brother and explained what
> she remembered about objects superheating when they entered the Earth's
> atmosphere.
> 
> Jeremiah presented the molten lump to high school science teacher
> Richard Whitman, who confirmed it was a meteorite and called the
> astronomy department at the University of Florida to try to figure out
> the odds of a fourth-grader in the state's smallest public school
> actually seeing a meteorite hit the ground.
> 
> "Not a real likely event," Whitman said. "For anyone."
> 
> Jeremiah said he plans to keep the meteorite and is cautious about who
> gets to handle his new treasure. After telling his story to the high
> school science students, Jeremiah answered questions, then walked from
> desk to desk allowing the teenagers to look and touch, but being careful
> to make sure it remained over a desk to reduce the risk of an accidental
> drop.
> 
> "I want to make sure I have it always, and it doesn't ever get broken,"
> Jeremiah said.
> 
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