weathered magnetite
Dave Freeman writes:
This is a 14 pound stream worn magnetite cobble from very near the old US Steel mine at Atlantic City, Wyoming (south pass end of the Wind River Mountains. 2.87 billion years old, and roughly 40% iron. My gold prospector associate found it with his metal detector. A good magnet really likes it, but the real test, it streaks GRAY as magnetite.
This is a 14 pound stream worn magnetite cobble from very near the old US Steel mine at Atlantic City, Wyoming (south pass end of the Wind River Mountains. 2.87 billion years old, and roughly 40% iron. My gold prospector associate found it with his metal detector. A good magnet really likes it, but the real test, it streaks GRAY as magnetite.
It has the former described "melted material with holes" and ockets even! I sliced and polished a back side corner on the specimen and magnetite has a crystalline structure ( this one has that SIMULATES the Widmanstatten figures..to an idiot anyway). For lack of a better word, "globs" of iron rich/iron poor (darker gray, lighter more shiny gray) in a scattered arrangement.
I purchased this magnificent meteorwrong for $15. I find it is an excellent specimen of magnetite, and one heck of a trophy meteorwrong!
Best wishes and best meteorwrongs,
Dave Freeman
