Lot 107B
South America, Argentina, Campo del Cielo, ca. 4.5 billion years old. A fine, iron-rich slab from a massive and extremely heavy meteorite from the world-renowned impact site at Campo del Cielo (also Piguem Nonralta) in Argentina. The 22 plus craters from this 5,000-year-old collision with a giant space rock were discovered by Europeans around 1576, but were well known by the local inhabitants. In all, over 100 tons of meteorites have been recovered making this the largest meteorite field on record. Size: 13.3" L x 6.375" W (33.8 cm x 16.2 cm); total weight: 997.9 grams.
This meteorite also played an interesting role in human history. It provided iron to indigenous people in the region and the Spanish colonists in the area took notice. In 1576, the governor of the province of northern Argentina sent out a military search party to locate the source of the natives' iron weapons. However, it was not until the late 1700s that early natural scientists began to understand the true source of the iron. In 1783, Ruben de Celis used dynamite to clear the area around the craters and discovered that it was not a mine, as previously suspected, but was instead the remains of a single huge mass. Believing the source to be a volcanic eruption, he sent a sample to the Royal Society in London, where it was found to be 90% iron and 10% nickel and thus from a meteor.
Provenance: private Hagar collection, Wildwood, Missouri, USA
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#159363
- Condition: This is a slice from a larger meteorite. Minor nicks and roughness around peripheries, with one perforation through narrow area of body, otherwise intact and excellent. Great patina and luster throughout.
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