The rock was re-examined by the Chair of the Physical Sciences Department of Eastern New Mexico University, Geology Professor James Constantopoulos, Ph.D.
Prof. Constantopoulos began by examining the rock using a binocular microscope.
>"It's a normal rock, but the pattern is remarkable. Obviously, it is something that took a lot of care and knowledge to produce because this hard, iron-rich sandstone with magnetite is not easily worked. It's precision work. Wondering about the mystery of it. This rock certainly has me baffled."
The professor also experimented with a pencil magnet which was clearly attracted to the rock, which confirmed the presence of magnetite. The later energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (EDXRF) simply confirmed the presence of iron. Robert Ridge also demonstrated with his own auto shop magnet-on-a-stick. When he holds the magnet over the crescent and circle at the thickest end of the rock, the rock turns counterclockwise. When he moves the magnet to the lower crescent and circle in the thinnest end of the rock, the rock reverses and turns clockwise.
Video <here>