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Lot 4417
African Gibeon Meteorite - Complete Etched Slice with Hole
16 May 2018, 10:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$500 inc. premium
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African Gibeon Meteorite - Complete Etched Slice with Hole
Iron-Nickel, Fine Octahedrite
Kalahari Desert, Namibia, Africa
Gibeon meteorites are in very high demand as they are hard to find and possess a most beautiful internal crystalline structure when cut and etched. Gibeon meteorites were discovered in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia, Africa from a fall that occurred thousands of years before they were encountered. The present complete etched slice boasts an aesthetic shape with a large hole, which resulted from a large regmaglypt in the complete meteorite. The slice has been polished and etched on both sides to exhibit the extremely detailed, beautiful fine octahedral Widmanstatten pattern. The interesting geometric pattern results from the separation of two alloys of nickel, taenite and kamicite, from the large parent asteroid before it was blown apart early in the formation of the solar system. This crystalline pattern does not exist on any rocks on Earth and only forms when the iron core of the asteroid cools very slowly, at no more than a few degrees Celsius per million years. Gibeon is often considered to have the most aesthetically pleasing regmaglypts because they are so fine, forming a beautiful delicate pattern. Offered with a display stand. Measuring 8 1/3 x 5 1/2in; Weighs 278 grams
Kalahari Desert, Namibia, Africa
Gibeon meteorites are in very high demand as they are hard to find and possess a most beautiful internal crystalline structure when cut and etched. Gibeon meteorites were discovered in the Kalahari Desert of Namibia, Africa from a fall that occurred thousands of years before they were encountered. The present complete etched slice boasts an aesthetic shape with a large hole, which resulted from a large regmaglypt in the complete meteorite. The slice has been polished and etched on both sides to exhibit the extremely detailed, beautiful fine octahedral Widmanstatten pattern. The interesting geometric pattern results from the separation of two alloys of nickel, taenite and kamicite, from the large parent asteroid before it was blown apart early in the formation of the solar system. This crystalline pattern does not exist on any rocks on Earth and only forms when the iron core of the asteroid cools very slowly, at no more than a few degrees Celsius per million years. Gibeon is often considered to have the most aesthetically pleasing regmaglypts because they are so fine, forming a beautiful delicate pattern. Offered with a display stand. Measuring 8 1/3 x 5 1/2in; Weighs 278 grams