METEORITE DETAILS
Type: Pallasite meteorite
Weight: 577g
Found: 1822
Find location: Atacama Desert, Chile
The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the few places on Earth where meteorites can often be found lying directly on the surface. It is the driest desert in the world: rainfall occurs only once every few decades, and sediment accumulates extremely slowly. Against the pale sand and weathered rocks of the wind-swept plains, dark meteorite fragments stand out clearly.
Some meteorites fell there relatively recently, while others have remained on the desert surface for hundreds or even thousands of years. These unusual stones attracted the attention of collectors as early as the 19th century. One of the earliest famous discoveries was the Imilac meteorite.
The cosmic body broke apart in the atmosphere, producing a meteorite shower that covered an area of approximately 8 km². Prospectors eventually recovered about one tonne of meteorite material.
This specimen was found during a 2021 expedition to the Imilac meteorite strewn field.
Its uniqueness lies in its atypical composition for an Imilac pallasite. Unlike most Imilac pallasites, which contain abundant olivine crystals embedded in an iron-nickel matrix, this specimen is composed entirely of iron, with no olivine inclusions.
It is a truly exceptional museum specimen, distinguished by its magnificent blue fusion crust—a rare and remarkably well-preserved surface formed as the meteorite passed through Earth's atmosphere.
METEORITE DETAILS
Type: Pallasite meteorite
Weight: 577g
Found: 1822
Find location: Atacama Desert, Chile
The Atacama Desert in Chile is one of the few places on Earth where meteorites can often be found lying directly on the surface. It is the driest desert in the world: rainfall occurs only once every few decades, and sediment accumulates extremely slowly. Against the pale sand and weathered rocks of the wind-swept plains, dark meteorite fragments stand out clearly.
Some meteorites fell there relatively recently, while others have remained on the desert surface for hundreds or even thousands of years. These unusual stones attracted the attention of collectors as early as the 19th century. One of the earliest famous discoveries was the Imilac meteorite.
The cosmic body broke apart in the atmosphere, producing a meteorite shower that covered an area of approximately 8 km². Prospectors eventually recovered about one tonne of meteorite material.
This specimen was found during a 2021 expedition to the Imilac meteorite strewn field.
Its uniqueness lies in its atypical composition for an Imilac pallasite. Unlike most Imilac pallasites, which contain abundant olivine crystals embedded in an iron-nickel matrix, this specimen is composed entirely of iron, with no olivine inclusions.
It is a truly exceptional museum specimen, distinguished by its magnificent blue fusion crust—a rare and remarkably well-preserved surface formed as the meteorite passed through Earth's atmosphere.
