Interesting metal find

[GoldChaser]

I found this funny piece of metal about 9" deep at the edge of the Yuba River in northern California last weekend. Sorry about the quality of the pictures - it's about 1/4" in diameter and has a shiny silvery look. Thought it may be lead at the time, but since my fingernail and then my knife didn't penetrate it I realized it wasn't lead. It also had no rust at all. The back part of it looks rock-like. Found it with my TDI, then brought it home and my MXT read it in the iron range. And it sticks very strongly to my rare earth magnet. Yet no rust and very shiny after being buried 12" in wet sand/gravel at the river's edge. Any ideas what kind of metal this may be?

 

[GoGoGopher]

HArd to say...need better close-ups...Can you put it on a scanner?

HH,

 

[GoldChaser]

Great idea! Here's a scanned image. The more I look at it, the more it looks like pencil lead - dark gray/silver shiny.

 

[Aaron]

Sounds like it could be a meteorite...

 

[triplehooked]

Any idea on the weight?

 

[GoldChaser]

It is slightly over 1/4" and it is 1.26 grams - lighter than a similar sized piece of lead.

 

[GoGoGopher]

lead is NOT magnetic...I am thinking more and more...Meteroite, or welding slag...

HH,

 

[ronaldj2]

meteorite could be the closest guess, because of the depth of the find. This is an honest guest of my own.

 

[407floyd]

Take the lid off your toilet tank, turn the lid upside down, and run the object over the unglazed surface of the lid. If it leaves a black mark on the lid, it is not a meteorite. If it doesn't, then it's possibly a meteorite.