The complete slice of the Allende meteorite displays a charcoal-hued matrix filled with a galaxy of inclusions. The most remarkable are the abundant CAIs (Calcium aluminum inclusions), among the oldest materials in the Solar System, dating back to its formation 4.5 billion years ago. Modern cutting.

The Allende meteorite fell in Chihuahua Mexico at 1 A.M. on the morning of February 8, 1969. A fireball as bright as the sun ripped the sky apart above the desert and ranch land of northern Mexico. People were terrified, many believing the end of the world was underway. Hundreds of thousands of meteorite fragments rained down for nearly 60 km, making the Allende meteorite shower one of the largest strewn-fields known. It is the largest carbonaceous chondrite fall in history. Many villages were impacted by meteorites, but the largest was Pueblito de Allende. Hundreds of larger stones fell in the area. In 1969 NASA was preparing for the lunar landing missions and had built several laboratories preparing to handle lunar samples. The Allende meteorite fall was seen as the perfect laboratory test material and scientists were rapidly sent to collect and acquire specimens for research. Allende is considered the most studied and most important meteorite fall in history. Several tons of material were rapidly recovered. The large amount of material that fell gave scientists around the world a rare opportunity to study a rare carbonaceous meteorite. Several thousand scientific papers have been published since the fall. No meteorite collection Is complete without Allende. When looking at this meteorite, one is peering over four billion years into the past.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.
260 mm x 205 mm x 3 mm (10¹⁄₄ x 8 x ¹⁄₈ in.)
415g.

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