# Can someone ID this oddity?



## swamphawg (Aug 2, 2014)

Found near Augusta. Some kind of porous material. Almost resembles volcanic rock but it's too smooth. About 2.5" in diameter and has little green crystals in it. I'm guessing meteorite but didn't know if there were educated guesses on here.


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## lagrangedave (Aug 2, 2014)

Did you test it with a magnet yet? What's it weigh?


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## swamphawg (Aug 2, 2014)

I tried a regular refrigerator magnet but it didn't do much. Id say it weighs 8-10oz.


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## Willjo (Aug 3, 2014)

Looks like some of the slag I find where the coal slag is dumped from a coal burning train that the line runs across my property. I haven't looked at it real good because I knew what it was, but there is piles of it there.


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## swamphawg (Aug 3, 2014)

Has the slag you've found contained any of the green crystals as seen here?


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## Old Winchesters (Aug 3, 2014)

Basalt rock?


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## Chum (Aug 4, 2014)

It looks like basalt to me and the green crystals are olivine which indicates very slow mantel cooling.  Not so sure about the shape and smoothness...my guess is that it's whats known as a "bomb" from an ancient volcanic eruption.   Good find!


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## swamphawg (Aug 4, 2014)

Chum said:


> It looks like basalt to me and the green crystals are olivine which indicates very slow mantel cooling.  Not so sure about the shape and smoothness...my guess is that it's whats known as a "bomb" from an ancient volcanic eruption.   Good find!



Olivite...thanks for cluing me in on what the crystals are called. Unless someone dropped it where it was found, I was leaning toward a meteorite. I figure the possible rotation and burning while in flight caused the round smooth shape of it.


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## Chum (Aug 4, 2014)

There's also a chance that it may be a tektite.  http://www.meteoriteassociationofgeorgia.org/GATektitesList.htm
My wife met a guy who is currently doing research on these in the sate of Georiga...I'll have to check to see if she still has his info.


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## The Longhunter (Aug 4, 2014)

It's probably slag. The green crystals are vitrified silica (sand) that gets into the slag as an impurity.  Some slag will have the green glass in pieces as big as a butterbean.  They will have a crystaline appearance, but they are glass.

The exact location would be a good clue, but as Augusta had both a major ironworks, and several brick kilns, there are several good possibilities.  If I had to make a SWAG, I'd suggest a blast furnace.


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## ghadarits (Aug 4, 2014)

I'm not a meteorite expert by any stretch but have been lucky enough to find a few in New Mexico and Arizona and none of the ones I've found have been even close to that cylindrical. Most of the space rocks I've been around are strongly magnetic also due to their iron content. I've found a lot slag also and none of that was very cylindrical either though and barely attract a magnet if at all.

Its a cool find either way just worth a whole lot more if it is from outer space.


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## The Longhunter (Aug 4, 2014)

http://www.uky.edu/KGS/education/meteor_find.htm


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## crackerdave (Aug 4, 2014)

Good article! 
There's gold in dem hills.


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## swamphawg (Aug 4, 2014)

So it looks like we can rule out meteorite. Another possibility is a geode I reckon.


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