Dear Mr. Treiman,

Several months ago, I wrote you asking for help in regards to a meteorite I found in the early 1970s on a ranch here in Texas. At the time I had several people tell me they would analysis the rock and tell me if it truly came from Mars. I am writing you again, because I have had no luck in getting this thing tested.

Here is the problem. My own experience and my own testing tell me that this rock did indeed fall from the sky the night before I found it. However, this rock is apparently unlike any other meteorite that has ever fallen, because everyone who examines the sample merely tells me that the rock represents terrestrial volcanic material. I would like to point out that logically one can not say that since every rock that has fallen from the sky fits in one of three classifications, that every rock that falls must be the same.

The problem seems well stated in the note that you sent me. You say an experienced meteorite person can tell if a rock is a meteorite or not just by looking at it. But all they can logically say is if it fits the previous patterns. The fusion crust represents one area of this problem. I have been able to get a single test done which has shown that the rock is very high in silicon and several metals including aluminum, titanium, and magnesium. The rock shows me a fusion crust, but others say it is not like what they are used to seeing. There are two reasons why I believe this rock looks different than other meteorites. First, the composition and structure of this rock make it capable of withstanding more heat than most rocks. The structure is volcanic with many pores and passage ways and thin walls of the volcanic material. This structure is very similar to the structure of the tiles which are used on the space shuttle. In addition, the makeup of this material is very similar to space shuttle tiles which are mostly silicon. Also, as I examine the rock, it appears to have kept a single orientation as it traveled through the atmosphere. It is melted in certain places, but the melting is not uniform over the entire surface. The rock shows a fusion crust, but you can really only see it through a microscope. All of the melting is near the surface and doesn’t extend down into the pores. It appears as melted metal but has a tinge of the molten glass you and others talk about.

The rock has been filled with sand, as if it were once in a river bed. The sand appears to go throughout the rock and most of it is very loosely attached. When I place a single drop of water on the rock, the sand just falls out. What this means to me is that this rock seems to have been formed by a volcano and later water filled the rock with sand. Then the rock was dry and not exposed to water for a long period, because the only bond that holds the sand to the rock were formed when the rock dried. This rock could never have been wet on the planet Earth or all the sand would be gone from it. If I were to put this rock in a bath tub of water over night, I would have the structure of the rock and a pile of sand beneath it. In my opinion, there is no condition on Earth that could have led to me finding this rock out in the middle of nowhere on land that I am very familiar with. I know that it fell from the sky the night before I found it.

Inside this rock, is the sand I talked about earlier. But also, the rock seems to show a very diverse set of materials. It seems to me that everything about this rock is consistent with it being on the surface of Mars near the volcano thought to be the origin of the "new" Martian rocks. If most of the samples of Mars rock are from deep within the planet, then my rock probably represents material that was on the surface. It appears to me that the rock has been weathered by both wind and water. Also, as I look at the sand through a microscope, some of it appears to be "normal" sand, while other particles appear to be volcanic "sand" which clearly shows signs of water "rounding."

I know that the odds are against me having a rock from Mars. But I think the odds are much greater against this rock coming from Earth because there is no scenario of a terrestrial origin that explains the circumstances of this rock. The explanations of a terrestrial origin I have been given include 1) it was hiding behind a tumble weed and that is why I didn’t see it, 2) an animal dug is out of a stream bed and dragged it to the location where I found it (without leaving any marks I might add), and 3) a volcano on Earth erupted at the time I found it and somehow it managed to get to Texas. None of these is plausible. I have visited that ranch since my earliest memories. I worked on the ranch the previous two years before I found the rock and visited that sight almost daily for years. My aunt owned the ranch for about 50 years and never saw it before the day we found it. The ranch is not near any centers of civilization and had few visitors. There were no marks of any kind around the rock except for a small depression about a foot away. There were no footprints of any kind and the soil was not disturbed in any way. Persons in a nearby town reported seeing a meteor the night before. I didn’t see this thing land, but my situation is the next best thing to seeing it land and I tell you that it had to have fallen from the sky the night before I found it.

The rock is slightly magnetic. But since it is almost 80% silicon, I wouldn’t expect it to be very magnetic. I have already stated that this rock is not like any that have fallen from the sky before. I know that my scenario sounds far fetched, but all I am asking is that someone take the time to get some good hard scientific evidence of the planet of origin. The way I understand things, the last volcano erupted on Mars about 100 million years ago. If we could just test this rock for age of creation, it might help begin to answer the many questions which this rock poses to me.

You asked in the earlier letter you sent me what I would like to do. What I would like is to find someone who will test this rock no matter what it looks like. I can’t help that it doesn’t look like other rocks from space, but I think this rock will offer a tremendous amount of information about Mars, if it did come from there. I am willing to send a sample to anyone who will test it and I am willing to drive this thing anywhere in the country if I can get some one to look at it and then test it. Everyone that has seen it has said it looks like it fell through the atmosphere and I believe that if I could just show this to the proper people, I could finally get someone to help me. I live in Amarillo Texas so if you know someone around here, that would be good, but I will drive anywhere to get some answers. The important thing, though, is to get the testing done so that we can know for sure. If I am right about this rock, many people are going to be interested in studying it.

So the bottom line is this. Will you help me get this rock tested? Do you know someone who will work with me to test my hypothesis? I will send pictures or samples anywhere you say.

Thanks for any help that you might be able to give me.