Lot 54
Muonionalusta
The Robert Elliott Meteorite Collection Part III
Auction: 20 August 2013 at 15:00 BST
£375
Description
etched full slice
Dimensions
382g
Footnote
Provenance: ex-Luc Labenne Collection
Muonionalusta (Kiruna, Norrbotten, Sweden) IVA (iron) - found 1906
This fine octahedrite iron meteorite exhibits a beautiful Widmanstatten pattern, proof of a cosmic origin.
The meteorite was first described in 1910 by Professor AG Hogbom, who named it "Muonionalusta" after a nearby place on the Muonio River.
Iron meteorites originate in the core of gigantic asteroids. Millions of years of extreme heat and pressure, plus a very slow cooling rate, enable the growth and separation of nickel-rich and nickel-poor regions. These crystals can be made visible by etching with weak acid.