Meteorite in tree?

[Upinflames]

Hi all,
I cut an oak tree down on our farm 18 months ago. It was odd as the trunk was black inside (see photos).
When I started to chop it into logs my chainsaw hit something metallic, it felt like it had hit a nail. On further investigation I found a black object embedded in the tree. A rough count of the rings shows it has been in there around 200 years. But what is it? If I swing a magnet on a piece of cotton it attracts it, and the black in the tree trunk attests to iron. On the end where the chainsaw hit it glitters different colours.

[Upinflames]

[Upinflames]

[dundarach]

It's amazing is what that is...

Also if movies have taught me nothing, it's that this object is indeed 'pure evil'

Time Bandits!

[motco]

Upinflames said:

It's a natural stoneage knobkerry!

[Petrus1983]

Wow. Following this thread with interest.

[Nightmare]

Awesome! Certainly has the right characteristics to be a meteorite from those pics and description. Will ask my wife later as this is her area of expertise

[Upinflames]

Nightmare said:

Awesome! Certainly has the right characteristics to be a meteorite from those pics and description. Will ask my wife later as this is her area of expertise

Thanks, I'd be interested to hear her opinion

[ATG]

Whereabouts in the tree was it? In a limb or the main stem? How high off the ground when the tree came down?

[bigandclever]

I really want it to be one, though you might like to have a wander around here .. https://sites.wustl.edu/meteoritesite/

And they have a nice flowchart, what do you get to?

https://sites.wustl.edu/meteoritesite/items/self-t...

[Eric Mc]

Ask somebody from the Science Museum to have a look.

[Upinflames]

ATG said:

Whereabouts in the tree was it? In a limb or the main stem? How high off the ground when the tree came down?

5 feet off the ground near the middle of the main trunk

Edited by Upinflames on Monday 9th May 12:48

[Upinflames]

Eric Mc said:

Ask somebody from the Science Museum to have a look.

I've emailed a couple of times but had no reply

[Upinflames]

bigandclever said:

I really want it to be one, though you might like to have a wander around here .. https://sites.wustl.edu/meteoritesite/

And they have a nice flowchart, what do you get to?

https://sites.wustl.edu/meteoritesite/items/self-t...

It checks out on there, hadn't seen that before, thanks

[The Rotrex Kid]

Username (nearly) checks out

Amazing find. Look forward to more updates please.

[Eric Mc]

Upinflames said:

Eric Mc said:

Ask somebody from the Science Museum to have a look.

I've emailed a couple of times but had no reply

Have you tried phoning?
Have you sent a picture?

[Upinflames]

Eric Mc said:

Have you tried phoning?
Have you sent a picture?

Phone call got me the email address.

Email with photos attached just got me an automated reply thanking me for my enquiry

[Eric Mc]

I'm sure they get thousands of queries.
Maybe even paying them a visit might help. That's what people used to do.

They have a specialist meteorite section.

As it is magnetic, it could very well be part of a nickel-iron meteorite.

[Kawasicki]

Very interesting

[oakdale]

It's just an example of edaphoecotropism, could be anything really. It looks quite a small lump, what size is it?