Lot Description:
Surprisingly dense, this meteorite exhibits smooth, finely reticulated surface textures. Shrouded in a pewter-to-platinum-hued patina, thumbprint-like sockets (regmaglypts)abound. Patches of fusion crust are also in evidence. The latter two features are artifacts of fractional heating in the Earth’s atmosphere. As a result of its crater-like surface texture, this meteorite evokes the asteroid from whence it came.
79 x 116 x 74mm (3 x 4.5 x 3 in.)
1.868kg (4 lbs)

Campo del Cielo (“Valley of the Sky”) meteorites are the result of a catastrophic collision between two asteroids. The Campo specimens were launched from their parent asteroid and cast into interplanetary space. When one large Campo piece plunged through the Earth’s atmosphere 6,000 years ago, it exploded into thousands of meteorites. The larger meteorites struck the ground at such a high velocity that an array of at least 26 impact craters formed, the largest measuring a football field in diameter. This meteorite, while far smaller, looms large: it was once part of an asteroid located between Jupiter and Mars and in appearance is itself evocative of the asteroid from which it originated.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.