Canyon Diablo Meteorite "The Alien Face". Iron, IAB-MG. Meteor Crater, Coconino County. Arizona, USA - (35° 3'N, 1...

Description

Canyon Diablo Meteorite "The Alien Face"
Iron, IAB-MG
Meteor Crater, Coconino County
Arizona, USA - (35° 3'N, 111° 2'W)
Found: 1891

This uncommonly large and superlative specimen displays a particularly attractive hue of Canyon Diablo with a reddish-bronze natural patina as well as numerous compelling surface features. Rarely offered is an example of this meteorite with such a striking shape and impressive size. Canyon Diablo is a must for collectors of historic meteorites and crater-forming irons. With two natural spherical "eye" holes where soft inclusions, likely graphite, boiled out during flight or weathered away once it was on the ground, the offering has the most unique appearance of an extraterrestrial "alien" face. Small pointy "feet" allow the piece to stand up easily without any base, resulting in one magnificent display meteorite from all angles. The vast majority of all Canyon Diablo specimens recovered are shrapnel, shard-like fragments that were ripped apart by the explosive forces of the impact and crater formation, but the regmaglypts on this Lot show the offering to be a rare, highly desirable complete individual, which landed here as a single mass. "The Alien Face" represents a finer example of the meteorite from the world's most famous impact site. This 'museum-quality' meteorite specimen out of Arizona weighs a monstrous 23 kilograms (51 pounds). One of the most visually striking pieces in this assortment, this is a superb combination of size and form.
Measurements: 8.86 x 6.89 x 6.69 inches (22.50 x 17.50 x 17.00 cm), weighs approximately 23 kilograms (51 pounds)

Provenance: The Geoff Notkin Collection

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