MAGNETITE SPHERULES IN MIOCENE VERSUS RECENT SANDS OF NEW JERSEY

Spherules composed of magnetite were found throughout the state of New Jersey. Samples of coastal plain sands of Miocene age, beach sands, street sweepings, wind-blown dust, river waters, and dust from the stack scrubber of a scrap iron foundry were carefully examined. Spherules were found in each of the samples representing recent environments and in ancient sediments sampled near the surface, but are absent from each of the wide variety of ancient sediments carefully sampled below about one meter. The spherule samples consistently contain 0.4–0.8 weight percent Mn but contain less than 0.1 weight percent Ni. It is concluded that virtually none of the spherules is of an extraterrestrial origin.