Lot 92
Chinga
The Robert Elliott Meteorite Collection
Auction: 18 August 2009 at 15:00 BST
Description
Individual
Dimensions
2.67kg, 25.5 x 11 x 5cm
Footnote
Chinga (Tanna Tuva, Turvinskaya, Russia) IVB anom, Ataxite (iron) - found 1913
This is a rare class of iron meteorite called an Ataxite. Several masses were found in the Chinga stream, a tributary of the Upper Yenisei from the Tanno-ola Mountains, and recognised as meteoritic in 1913. Some specimens show a 'torn' appearance, characteristic of iron meteorites associated with large impact craters such as Canyon Diablo and Henbury, and it is considered probable that the Chinga iron meteorites are associated with an impact crater which has largely disappeared through weathering and erosion, or has perhaps just passed unnoticed.
Bowls, scoops, points and some 'thumbprints' are still visible on the surface, providing evidence of the fiery atmospheric passage and explosive break-up of the original large mass. This individual was acquired directly from a Russian science institution.