[meteorite-list] Meteorwrongs at the beach

[Jerry Flaherty]

Hi Mike, I suppose that that's like being aware of strange looking rocks on 
my daily dog walks. "Hope springs eternal..." no matter what the odds.
jerry

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From: "Galactic Stone & Ironworks" <meteoritemike at gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, March 26, 2010 11:34 AM
To: "Jerry Flaherty" <grf2 at comcast.net>
Cc: "meteorite-list meteoritecentral" <meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com>
Subject: Meteorwrongs at the beach

> Hi Jerry, Michael, and List,
>
> I'll break the silence with a goofy thought about meteorwrongs.
>
> Has anyone ever found meteor wrongs while treasurehunting at the beach
> or beachcombing?
>
> I've found several little iron slags which likely fell or broke off
> from ships and they become wave-tumbled and rounded.  At first glance,
> they look like a small iron meteorite laying amongst the broken shells
> and bits thrown up on the shore.  Some of them stick to a magnet and
> some don't.  Some are heavy and obviously iron, while others are
> vesiculated and less dense.  The lightweight vesiculated types don't
> stick to a magnet.
>
> My wife found something on Fort Desoto beach that looks like a
> teardrop-shaped indochinite.  It's a dead ringer for one.  I'll have
> to post a pic of it later.  It is black, about 2 inches long, teardrop
> shaped, and it has faux flowlines on it leading away from the head and
> back towards the "tail".  But it's some kind of strange seed pod and
> not inorganic.
>
> I've also found a few small pebbles that have been wave tumbled and
> their coloration reminds me of a wind-polished stony chondrite with
> desert varnish.  Of course, they don't stick to a magnet, and they are
> obviously terrestrial when examined with a loupe.  One was so
> convincing that I windowed it just to be sure.
>
> I know my chances of finding a meteorite at the beach are not that
> good, but it's fun to see a meteorwrong while shelling.  My mind is on
> shells, and I am looking for flashes of color or size profiles, and my
> eye will catch a meteorwrong instead.
>
> Best regards,
>
> MikeG
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Mike Gilmer - Galactic Stone & Ironworks Meteorites
> http://www.galactic-stone.com
> http://www.facebook.com/galacticstone
> ------------------------------------------------------------