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LOT 1993
Natural History - Sikhote Alin Meteorite
12TH FEBRUARY 1947 A.D.
1 in. (11.6 grams, 24 mm).
An iron meteorite (chemical group IIAB) with a coarse octahedrite structure. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceFrom Sikhote-Alin Mountains, Primorye, Russia.
From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection.
The Sikhote-Alin meteorite fell during daylight at 10:38 am. local time on 12th February, 1947. Witnesses reported a fireball that was brighter than the sun. It came from about 15 degrees east of north and descended at an angle of 41 degrees. It left a trail of smoke and dust 20 miles long which lingered for several hours. Light and sound of the fall were observed for two hundred miles around the point of impact.
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AUCTIONS:
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Natural History - Campo del Cielo Meteorite
Fell 6000-5000 years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £143
Nickel-iron meteorite (IAB); supplied in a cardboard specimen tray with information ticket. 55 grams, 40 mm
From Chaco Province, Argentina, found 1576. From an old Bristol collection.
A crater field of roughly 26 craters was found in the vicinity of this crater, which is estimated to date to 4-5 thousand years BP. The age of the meteorite itself is thought to be c.4.5 billion years, formed as part of the development of this solar system. The largest two fragments, the 30.8 ton Gancedo and 28.8 ton El Chaco, are among the heaviest meteorite masses ever recovered on Earth. In 1576, the governor of a province in Northern Argentina commissioned the military to search for a large mass of iron, which it was believed the local people claimed had fallen from the sky and which they used for their weapon production. The expedition discovered a large mass of metal which was assumed to be an iron mine and brought back a few samples, which were described as being of unusual purity. Following the legends, in 1774 Don Bartolomé Francisco de Maguna rediscovered the iron mass. He himself did not believe that the stone had fallen from the sky and assumed that it had formed by a volcanic eruption. However, he sent the samples to the Royal Society of London. In 1990 it became protected by law. -
Natural History - Boxed Pyrite 'Fool's Gold' Crystal Specimen
Sold for (Inc. bp): £17
The specimen comprising small and large crystals with one larger cuboid crystal to the top; supplied in a labelled cardboard tray. 95 grams total, 42 mm
From Peru. Ex Mineral Imports, London, UK. Gregory, Bottley & Lloyd (Gregory's). -
Natural History - Iridescent Fossil Ammonite
Cretaceous Period, circa 113-100 million years B.P.Sold for (Inc. bp): £59
Cleoniceras besairiei with large portions of the shell with rainbow iridescence. 519 grams, 12.8 cm
From a Lincolnshire, UK, collection.
