Iron coarse octahedrite– IAB-MG Gran Chaco, Argentina (27°28' S, 60°35' W)

Lot Description:
This sphere reveals in three dimensions the beautiful crystalline pattern that is characteristic of the best Campo del Cielo meteorites. The pattern is diagnostic in the identification of an iron meteorite and this example evidences especially robust character. Modern fashioning.
54mm (2 in.) diameter
737g (1.66 lbs)

Showcasing the internal crystalline splendor of an iron meteorite by fashioning into a sphere. Campo del Cielo (“Valley of the Sky”) meteorites are the result of a collision between two asteroids in interplanetary space. When a large fragment from one of these asteroids hit Earth’s upper atmosphere 6,000 years ago, the pressure caused it to explode and break into thousands of pieces. The larger meteorites struck the ground at such a high velocity that an array of 26 impact craters formed, the largest measuring a football field across. Campo del Cielo meteorites were first documented in 1576 by Spanish conquistadors in what is now Argentina, when the meteorites unearthly origins were not yet understood, and can be found today in the finest museums in the world. When cut and etched, Campo del Cielo meteorites exhibit an octahedral latticework of its two principal alloys, troilite and taenite. This exquisite natural design is known as a Widmanstätten pattern. As this pattern does not appear in terrestrial iron ores, its presence is diagnostic in the identification of iron meteorites. This specimen was hewn from a larger meteorite that underwent a number of stages of cutting, grinding and polishing in a sphere-making apparatus.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.