Iron meteorite - Santa Catharina - 0,50 grams
Iron meteorite - Santa Catharina - 0,50 grams More
Structural classification of the meteorite: Iron IAB-ung
Impact location: Brasil
Date of fall: unknown
Date of discovery: 1875
The weight of the meteorite fragment is 0.50 grams.
The meteorite is stored in a plastic box with a white backing and a description.
!!! You are buying exactly the piece that is shown in the photo !!!
The Santa Catharina iron meteorite, first thought to be nickel ore, was discovered in 1875 by Goncalves da Rosa on the island of São Francisco do Sul in the state of Santa Catharina. It is estimated to have collided with the Earth about 70-110 million years ago, creating a 12-kilometre crater in present-day Santa Catharina.
This is ataxite, which contains 35% nickel. It's classified as IAB-ung iron. A total of 7 tonnes have been discovered. Much of it was accidentally transported to England in an attempt to extract the nickel, including the main mass of 2.5 tons. A further 2.5 tonnes were preserved at the National Museum of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, but are now presumably lost due to a fire in 2018.
The meteorite is unusual in 3 important respects - it is unusually rich in nickel (about 30% of the unoxidized parts), unusually rich in troilite, and heavily weathered. It is a shale material that has been fused with terrestrial soil.