Is this a meteorite?

I’ve owned a stone for years. From the outside it looks heated, but on the inside there are all kinds of strange white bubble structures (see photo). I really have no idea what it is. Is this a meteorite? Are there some kind of fossilized bacteria inside?

Asker: Robin, 20 years

Answer

This is not a meteorite, but a terrestrial rock. The strange white spheres inside are not fossilized bacteria but a secondary mineral formed in an existing rock. In all likelihood (determined by sight) this is an “amygdaloidal” basalt, a volcanic rock, solidified from a flowing lava flow. The spheres, hollow on the outside and white-filled inside, are traces of air bubbles in the still flowing, solidifying lava. So originally all round shapes were hollow after the solidification of the lava Zeolites are aluminum silicates with a regular but open crystal structure, with pale color and light weight.They are formed when hydrothermal solutions, from volcanic hot springs fill the cavities and the dissolved mineral salts to crystallize.
Zeolites can also be deposited in layers as precipitate, for example in lakes, and then form coveted raw materials with very diverse applications, for example in cat litter.

Answered by

Michael Dusar

Geology of Belgium

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences
Rue Vautier 29 1000 Brussels
http://www.naturalsciences.be

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