# Beryllium?



## darshevo (Sep 11, 2010)

I found this little piece during one of my summer outings. Its been sitting on my keyboard next to a piece of lead that I also dug up (pun totally intended :mrgreen: ). I was checking some pictures on google images and found this link:

http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/B/beryllium.html

The picture looks an awful lot like what I have. My piece is quite light (far lighter than the lead it shares its space with), its relatively porous, and is magnetic. Not to the extent that steel would be though. 

If it is indeed Beryllium how would I go about finding where it came from? It is from a mining area and I found it near an old crusher site. None of the mineral reports I have looked at in that region show Beryllium as a mined mineral. 

-Lance


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## Irons (Sep 11, 2010)

Beryllium is never found as a metal in nature, If there is some in the area, I suggest you find somewhere else to dig. It is very bad news from a long-term health standpoint.


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## hemicuda (Sep 11, 2010)

In my opinion it kind of looks like either welding or cutting slag from a torch,something like what would fall from a molten piece of metal.
You say it comes from a site where a crusher was near. 
And is also light....could it be Titanium at all? 
Was there any of this type of mining done in the area that you speak of?

Just my 2 bits worth.
Keith.


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## Richard36 (Sep 11, 2010)

It looks quite similar to an "L4 Olivine-Bronzite Meteorite" to me.
Look up "Bethany Sciences" on the web. 
They might have a few photos that you can compare it to.

You could also send it to them, and they will check it to see if it is, as well as tell you what it is worth, then either mail it back to you, or offer to buy it, if it is a meteorite.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

Sincerely; Rick."The Rock Man".


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## turtlesteve (Sep 11, 2010)

My vote is a slag bubble from an old iron furnace. Glassy composition and porosity would explain the light weight, but enough iron to make it magnetic. Beryllium would not be magnetic at all, nor titanium. Does it look glassy on broken surfaces, with air bubbles?

Steve


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## darshevo (Sep 12, 2010)

turtlesteve said:


> My vote is a slag bubble from an old iron furnace. Glassy composition and porosity would explain the light weight, but enough iron to make it magnetic. Beryllium would not be magnetic at all, nor titanium. Does it look glassy on broken surfaces, with air bubbles?
> 
> Steve



On the broken surface it does have a shiny appearance, similar to the way mica looks when it is present in a rock. I went after it a bit with my smaller keychain magnet (a premium given away by the local scrap yard) It's only magnetic on the outside. The inner porous material is not magnetic if that helps at all

-Lance


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## g_axelsson (Sep 12, 2010)

Richard36 said:


> It looks quite similar to an "L4 Olivine-Bronzite Meteorite" to me.
> Look up "Bethany Sciences" on the web.
> They might have a few photos that you can compare it to.
> 
> ...



There is no L4 olivine-bronzite class of meteorites. The L class is made up of olivine-hypershene condrites, the olivine-bronzite class is called H. The number added to the class is the petrologic type and tells you how much metamorphism the meteorite have been through. To decide the class of a meteorite you have to do microscopic analysis.

I don't think the picture looks like a meteorite and I've handled many in my days. My collection is close to 100 pieces and I've traded and sold many times as many.
The piece in the picture have a clear crystallization rim along the surface so it came from molten metal. No meteorite have that feature. It also shows some weathering but no rust. As the free metal in meteorites is an iron nickel alloy it would leave obvious rust spots on the broken surface.

It's definitely not a meteorite, probably some molten metal, man made.

/Göran


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## teclu (Sep 13, 2010)

darshevo said:


> ... My piece is quite light (far lighter than the lead it shares its space with)...



Which is the weight(the mass) of the piece? I think it is copper alloy slag(maybe brass with magnetic impurities ).

teclu


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## qst42know (Sep 13, 2010)

Copper scrappers may have beat you to this site.


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