A slice of Cape Girardeau (H6, ordinary chondrite). Note the shiny metal grains with saw marks. Thanks to Karl Aston for loan of the sample: Photo credit: Randy KorotevConception Junction (pallasite, 17 kg). Thanks to Dave Gheesling and Karl Aston for access to the meteorite. Photo credit: Randy KorotevConception Junction (pallasite, 17 kg). This meteorite “was discovered protruding from a hillside.” It is easy to overlook as a meteorite. Pallasites do not have fusion crusts like stony meteorites and often have this rough surface texture. Thanks to Dave Gheesling and Karl Aston for access to the meteorite. Photo credit: Randy Korotev
A polished slice of Conception Junction (pallasite, 17 kg). Pallasites are composed of grains of the silicate mineral olivine (orangish here) embedded in a matrix of iron-nickel metal. Thanks to Dave Gheesling and Karl Aston for access to the meteorite. Photo credit: Randy Korotev
A slice of Faucett (H5, ordinary chondrite). Photo credit: Randy KorotevA slice of Independence (L6, ordinary chondrite). Compared to Faucett, this one is quite rusty. Photo credit: Randy KorotevLicking (IVA, iron, 8 kg). Image Credit: Laurence Garvie
A small slice of Milton (pallasite). Photo credit: Randy Korotev
A small sample of St. Louis (H4, chondrite). This interior piece does not have any fusion crust. All of the rusting has occurred since the meteorite fell in 1950. Thanks to Karl Aston for loan of the sample. Read about the fall of the meteorite here. Photo credit: Randy Korotev
This iron meteorite piece, labeled St. Francois County, has been in our Department collection for many years. St. Francois County is a rare type of iron, a IC, of which there are only 13 known specimens. I sent a sample of this meteorite to the iron meteorite expert, the late Dr. John Wasson of UCLA, a few years ago to check. He said that it was not a IC iron (it was a type that is much more common), so it appears that in cannot really be a piece of St. Francois County, which only weighed 3.6 kg. It clearly is an iron meteorite, however.
