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Remarks |
While getting into bed late at night between September 3 – 5, 2023, my room in Minot, ND (2820A 5th St NW) suddenly illuminated bright white for about a second. Within moments, I heard a distinct explosion-type boom that startled my dogs and lightly vibrated the room. The flash appeared to move right-to-left across my bedroom windows, corresponding to an east-to-west or southeast-to-northwest path from my vantage point.
Approximately two days later (around Sept 6) I discovered a dense, black, metallic-looking stone near decorative white landscaping rocks outside my residence—something that had definitely not been there previously. It was noticeably heavy, with a dark exterior and a subtle metallic shimmer. I placed it aside and did not test it for nearly two years.
In 2025, now in TN, I began a series of at-home analyses on the same specimen:
• Magnet test: strong magnetic attraction throughout.
• Sanding + etching (ferric chloride): revealed a reflective gray metallic matrix with tan-to-transparent inclusions, no gas bubbles or slag texture.
• Nickel spot test: showed little reaction on this small fragment, though a certified ordinary chondrite control tested the same way also yielded a weak/no visible result, suggesting sensitivity limits of the reagent.
• Freeze–thaw + moisture exposure: no rusting or surface change even after repeated cycles.
• Polished-surface inspection: bright reflective specks and birefringent inclusions under light, some showing rainbow diffraction effects.
• Density: notably higher than local rocks of similar size.
The outer layer has remained chemically and visually stable for two years with no oxidation, which seems inconsistent with common industrial slag. The specimen continues to exhibit a metal/silicate intergrowth texture similar to certain mesosiderites.
I have photos and macro-video documentation of the object in its found state, after sanding/etching, and under different lighting if additional review is desired.
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