The Allende Meteorite
The Allende meteorite fell at 1:05 AM on February 9, 1969 at Chihuahua Mexico. It was a huge fireball as the Meteor fragmented and thousands of small pieces landed in a strewn field of over 60 square miles. To date about two tons of Allende fragments have been found, but the original size of the meteorite is not known. Allende is a class CV3 carbonaceous chondritic, one of the rarest types of meteorites. Chemically it is composed primarily of iron rich olivine, and while the total iron content is about 24%, there are almost no traces of visible iron in it. The pieces are made up of aggregates of small particles, some of which can be identified as chondrules. The outer surfaces formed a fusion crust of material melted by friction on entry into the earth's atmosphere, although on impact some of the crust chipped off to expose the inner structures.
Scientists believe the Allende meteorite is about 4.6 billion years old, forming at about the same time as our solar system, and it probably is part of that early material. There is great scientific interest in the Allende for it is providing clues about the earliest days of our solar system. An incredible amount of detailed information about it is available on the internet. Just search - Allende meteorite - in any search engine for further information.
Canyon Diablo Meteorite
The meteorite that created Meteor Crator at Canyon Diablo (40 miles east of Flagstaff, Arizona) struck the earth some time between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. The meteorite fragmented and partly vaporized on impact, with the largest fragment currently known at 0.639 tons (the Holsinger Meteorite which was found inside the crater). Estimates of its original size vary between 5,000 and 5,000,000 tons, with recent work suggesting 63,000 tons would be consistent with the 3400 feet wide and 600 feet deep crater. However, about 30 tons of fragments have so far been recovered, with another 8 tons thought to exist as iron dust in the immediate area for a total of 38 tons accounted for. Other research suggests about 85% of the meteor should have vaporized on impact, so the 38 tons accounted for would be the remaining 15% of a 253 ton mass. In reality, no one is sure just how big it was. What is certain is that the force of the impact would have been devastating to anything alive within many miles of the site.
The Canyon Diablo meteorite is a Course Octahedrite, Class 1. Its chemical makeup is mostly Iron mixed with 7.1% Nickel, 0.46% Cobalt, 0.26% Phosphorus, about 1% Carbon, about 1% Sulfur, 80 ppm Galenius, 320 ppm Germanium and 1.9 ppm Iridium. The following minerals have also been noted in it: Kamacite, Taenite, Schreibersite, Troilite, Graphite, Cohenite, Haxonite and Chromite. In some specimens, the shock of impact has converted the Graphite to Diamond and Lonsdaleite.
DALGETY DOWNS METEORITE
The Dalgety Downs meteorite was discovered about six miles south of Dalgety Downs, Australia. To date 473 kilograms of fragments have been found at two locations, most at Dalgety Downs and a small amount at Ashburton Downs, but the material at both locations is thought to come from the same body. Dalgety Downs is an Olivine-Hypersthene class L4 stone Chondrite. We have had little luck finding more information on this meteorite, and it appears no good chemical analysis has been published that we can locate.
The Gibeon Meteorite
The Gibeon meteorite is not one meteorite, but rather many fragments that probably fell together strewn over an area 250 miles long by 40 miles wide in the desolate Namibian desert in Africa (The Great Nama Land). It was known to the natives of the area, who used it as a source of raw material to make tools and weapons, and was first brought to the attention of Western people in 1836.
This is a group IV-A iron meteorite classed as a polycrystalline, twinned, fine octahedrite. The specimens average 87% iron and 10% nickel, sometimes with small nodules of traversite, trolite and graphite. The rare minerals Enstatite and tridymite, normally found as nuclear fusion products, are known from some specimens.
A very strong crystalline "Widmanstatten pattern" is developed in this meteorite, which makes the cut and etched specimens very beautiful (and suitable for making jewelry).
We usually offer several specimens, each of which has been cut a slice between 2 and 3 mm thick and etched to make the "Widmanstatten pattern" clearly visible. Much to our surprise the "Widmanstatten patterns" could be clearly imaged on a scanner.
Millbillillie Meteorite
The Millbillillie meteorite was seen to fall about 1:00 PM on October of 1960 (no one seems to know the day of the month), on the Nullabor Plain of Western Australia, however no specimens were recovered until about 10 years later. It fragmented in the atmosphere, and so far a total of about 300 kilograms of fragments have been found.
The Millbillillie meteorite is classified as a Eucrite (AEUC) Achondrite, containing a mixture of granulitic, fragmental breccias and melted material as well as a network of glassy veins and various features resulting from the shock of impacts that it sustained billions of years prior to falling to earth. It consists of about equal parts anorthite (a plagioclase feldspar) and pigeonite (a clinopyroxene). Intact specimens show a glossy black fusion crust.
The latest scientific evidence suggests it originally formed about 4.5 billion years ago at the same time as our solar system, and was originally crust material of the asteroid Vesta, from which it may have broke way during an impact about 3.5 billion years ago that created a huge impact crater near Vesta's south pole.
The Nantan Meteorite
The Nantan meteorite was recorded to have fallen in Nandan County of Guangxi Province, China, in May of 1516 during the Ming Dynasty. Witnesses reported it can in from the northwest, waving like snakes and dragons with a light as bright as lightning. Even though the fall was recorded at the time, it was ignored until 1958 when farmers reported a source of Iron that they could not melt, and government scientists came out to investigate.
The Nantan meteorite appears to have broken up in the air, as pieces of it ranging from 10 grams to over 2,000 Kg. are found scattered over an area of about 400 square miles, with pieces being found with a variety of shapes and textures. It is currently estimated that the total weight was about 9,500 KG.
This is a group III-CD iron meteorite classed as a course octahedrite, with strong crystalline "Widmanstatten patterns" on polished slices. On average the composition is 92.35% Iron, 6.96% Nickel with minor amounts of Carbon, Copper, Cobalt, Sulphur, Phosphorus, Cromium, Gallenium, Germanium and many different trace elements. There are a number of scarce minerals found in it, including kamacite, taenite, plessite, scheribersite, triolite, graphite, spherlite, sideroferrite, dyslytite, cliftonite and lawrencite.
Unfortunately this meteorite lay in the open for over 450 years and most specimens are very weathered, being somewhat rusted almost all the way through. All of the smaller specimens (under 50 Kg), including those offered here, tend to be fully brown with no evidence of a melted surface. If one wants an affordable specimen of this meteorite, one must accept the weathered surfaces.
The Sikhote-Alin Meteorite
The Sikhote-Alin meteorite was seen to fall on February 12, 1947 at 10:38 AM (UT), in the Sikhote-Alin mountains of Russia about 270 miles NE of Vladivolstok. The many people who saw and heard the fall (some up to 200 miles away) reported a smoke trail 20 miles long with the meteorite coming in at about 41 degrees from about 15 degrees East of North.
Scientists believe it entered the atmosphere at about 31,000 miles per hour and began to break up almost immediately but that the main mass fragmented in a violent explosion at the relatively low altitude of about 3.5 miles. The fragments traveled together and landed in an elliptical areas of about half a square mile creating a number of impact craters up to 85 feet across. The fragments that broke off prior to the main explosion are found with fusion crust and atmospheric ablation. The fragments from the main explosion look more like shrapnel and can have some very interesting shapes and textures. The largest fragments were over 1000 Kg.
This is a group II-B iron meteorite classed as a very course octahedrite. The bulk of the material is iron, but it averages 5.9% Nickel, 0.42% Cobalt, 0.46% Phosphorus, 0.28% Sulphur, with traces of Galenium, Germanium and Iridium. The following rare minerals have also been noted in it : Kamacite, Tacnite, Plessite, Schreibersite, Rhabites, Troilite and Chromite.
We guarantee all objects that we sell to be genuine and as described. If any object we sell should be proven not to be genuine, we will issue an immediate refund.
Our selection of these items is always changing, so feel free to check this site regularly.
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