Vaca Muerta meteorite. Historic mesosiderite

Vaca Muerta meteorite. Historic mesosiderite

Weight

9,9 grams

Found

Chile, 1831

$140

Out of stock

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14 days return
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Description

Vaca Muerta was discovered in 1831 in the Atacama desert by miners who thought it could be silver. It was given its peculiar name (dead cow) due to a nearby riverbank where the skeletons of some dead cows lay on the ground. It was forgotten for over 100 years until its re-discovery in 1985. The main mass made a small crater a few meters in diameter that is still preserved today.

Vaca Muerta is classified as a mesosiderite. Mesosiderites have similar parts of metal and rock. It is a chaotic mixture some parts being rock with metal inclusions and some others being metal with rock inclusions.

Mesosiderites are thought to originate at the core-mantle boundary of differentiated asteroids, where the metallic core meets the lighter rocks. They were then shattered to space through another meteorite impact until they fell on Earth. 16 Psyche is the main candidate as a parent body of mesosiderites. It orbits the Sun between Mars and Jupiter in the asteroid belt.

Certificate of authenticity included. IMCA 5591.

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