Seymchan Sphere - Pallasitic Meteorite Fashioned into Perfect Sphere. Pallasite - PMG . Magadan District, Russia . ...

Description

Seymchan Sphere - Pallasitic Meteorite Fashioned into Perfect Sphere
Pallasite - PMG
Magadan District, Russia

It was in the 1960s that two large metallic masses were found in a Siberian streambed not far from one of Stalin's gulags. Identified as meteorites, the rocks were named "Seymchan" after the nearby town and classified as part of a rare Iron meteorites subgroup. In 2004, further expeditions to Seymchan resulted in the recovery of many additional specimens. When it was determined that a significant fraction of Seymchan specimens contain crystalline Olivine, Seymchan was reclassified as a pallasite - the most beautiful extraterrestrial substance known. Originating from the mantle/core boundary of a planetoid that broke apart billions of years ago, and whose remnants are primarily in the asteroid belt, the parent body of this meteorite was deflected into an Earth intersecting orbit and, thousands of years after its impact, it was recently recovered and machined into the dazzling object now offered. To create a sphere of this size requires a mass nearly three times that of the sphere, as large amounts of material are lost during the grinding and polishing processes. With crystals of Olivine and Peridot (the August birthstone) suspended in its Nickel Iron matrix, this is a resplendent example of a crystal ball from outer space.
Overall Measurements: 1.75 inches (4.44 cm) in diameter, weighs 243 grams

[Scale: 1 inch, with mark at 1 cm]

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