Seymchan Meteorite Slice. Pallasite, PMG. Magadanskaya oblast', Russia - (62° 54'N, 152° 26'E). Found: June 1967...

Description

Seymchan Meteorite Slice
Pallasite, PMG
Magadanskaya oblast', Russia - (62° 54'N, 152° 26'E)
Found: June 1967

This magnificent full slice wonderfully demonstrates the unusual composition and mystifying formation of the Seymchan pallasite. Most examples of Seymchan are rich in iron or rich in olivine, but this highly desirable transitional piece offers an abundance of both. The juxtaposition of differing structures has occasionally been seen in pallasites like Brenham from Kansas and Glorieta Mountain from New Mexico but is rare, especially in a large slice such as this spectacular transitional example. Exhibiting characteristics of both siderites and pallasites, the unique duality is readily seen over the surface of this expansive and shapely slab weighing 812 grams with half showing olivine crystals amid the etched metal and the other exclusively metallic in composition, exhibiting an impressive Widmanstätten pattern. Pallasite meteorites are believed to have formed at the core-mantle boundary of large asteroids such that there is only a narrow window of favorable conditions with the meteorite parent bodies in which they can form. To the point, there are less than 170 classified pallasites out of some 70,000 recognized meteorites. Preparation of this rare piece presented special challenges with the preparator commenting it was the single hardest meteorite he had cut in more than 25 years of professional experience, including use of a special diamond-tipped blade and excessive amount of time for each slice. The complete mass, found by friends of Geoff Notkin and prior to cutting weighed 36 kilograms (79 pounds), produced this exquisite slab as well as others that went into museum collections and to private collectors around the world. A slice of this supreme size and quality is not likely to be seen again, and the mass that produced it is considered by many experts to have yielded THE finest transitional slices they ever saw. This metallic wonder boasts amazing shape and captivating appearance. The broad museum quality offering measures 10 inches (25 cm) in width.
Measurements: 10.04 x 8.46 x 0.17 inches (25.50 x 21.50 x 0.43 cm), weighs 812 grams

Provenance: The Geoff Notkin Collection

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