Magnet Fishing - A Heavy Rock I found. Is it a Meteorite ?

a reply to: Trueman

I'll have to do that one day.

It's hard to attempt to identify anything without having it in hand. For instance the lighter one in the photo looks granitic, but if it's magnetic I'd not be sure at all. The middle one looks a bit like common quartz, but again if it's magnetic? The dark one looks a lot like magnetite. It's really hard to say since so much depends on properties not apparent in a photo.

Sounds like you are pretty interested and over time if you stay with it, you will pick up on a lot. There are a lot of sites with helpful info, but mostly you learn hands on and over time you get to where many things you can sight identify with confidence, but you have to see it in person, feel it in person and .............
Wiki has some helpful stuff.

Color

Color of the mineral. This is not mineral specific. For example quartz can be almost any color, shape and within many rock types.

Streak

Main article: Streak (mineralogy)

Color of the mineral's powder. This can be found by rubbing the mineral onto a concrete. This is more accurate but not always mineral specific.

Luster

Main article: Luster (mineralogy)

This is the way light reflects from the mineral's surface. A mineral can be metallic (shiny) or non-metallic (not shiny).

Transparency

Main article: Transparency and translucency

The way light travels through minerals. The mineral can be transparent (clear), translucent (cloudy) or opaque (none).

Specific gravity

Main article: Specific gravity

Ratio between the weight of the mineral relative to an equal volume of water.

Mineral habitat

Main article: Crystal habit

The shape of the crystal and habitat.

Magnetism

Main article: Magnetism

Magnetic or nonmagnetic. Can be tested by using a magnet or a compass. This does not apply to all ion minerals (for example, pyrite).

Cleavage

Main article: Cleavage (crystal)

Number, behaviour, size and way cracks fracture in the mineral.

..and other things.