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(meteorobs) Possible Chondrite.

HI There,
I was handed a rather perculiar stone by a friend. He got it from a
farmer in the Piketberg area, about 80 miles up our west coast. It is
famous for the great Koue Bokkeveldt fall of the late 1800's where quite
a couple of tons of an Iron meteor was recovered.
According to the farmer, who is in his late 70's, this "meteor" is
recorded in Bushman paintings.
This meteor came down during the earlier part of the previous century.
Apparently, this stone is one of the fragments in the rather large
indentation it made.
The indentation is about 35meters accross and 15ft deep. It is situated
on top of the Piketberg mountain.
Some discription.

The rock is black, unlike the surrounding Table Mountain Sandstone,
about 60 kM away. The mountain is similar to sandstone, but it is yellow
with red. I know the area well, as I have built many radio repeaters in
the area.
It is unnaturally heavy for a stone that size.(A big man's fist).
It is NOT magnetic, but it has a crust on it, suggesting it was exposed
to tremendous heat at some time.(Possible manganese coagulated in sand). 
It is very hard, and it took a hard smack with a hammer to break a piece
off. I collected the dust of the break and examined it under a
Microscope.(400 - 1200 X )
The dust is quite strange. It is not like the normal sharp edged
crystals. There are little balls that seems to be like clear marbles
with black rings around them. They look like frog's eggs.
The larger crystals (like sand) did not shatter but stayed as they were.
They look like normal sand grains, but they are from inside the rock.
The appearance of the rock looks like a chunk tubular corral that has 
been broken off.
There are no fissures, layering, cracks or any marks on it that "looks
familliar". 
I am trying to prove it is NOT a meteor, because if I cannot, it must be
a meteor.
I will take it to work tomorrow and photograph it on our digital camera.
Should you like to see a pic of it, I will send you one as sson as I
have it.
The only person, who I know that might know what it is, is at the South
African Museum. 
-- 
> > Bill Hollenbach       Cederberg Observatory ah52@solo.pipex.co.za
> > http://aztec.co.za/exinet/travel/misc/cederobs.html
> > http://www.cs.uct.ac.za/~iwebb/obs/
> > Lat: 32:30.11' (S)    Long: 19:15.20' (E)   GPS POSITION
> > " We are stardust "   Durbanville, Cape Town South Africa