Similar to lot 40 — and cut from the same mass, this is a complete slice of an iron meteorite with a gleaming crystalline structure. It originates from the core of an asteroid that burst apart following an impact with another asteroid. The Widmanstätten pattern seen is inherent to all Gibeon meteorites. As this intergrowth does not appear in terrestrial iron ores, its presence is diagnostic in the identification of iron meteorites, and pattern variations are frequently indicative of different meteorites. This specimen also contains Neumann bands, the result of a violent impact and shocking of material on its parent asteroid.

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

107 x 67 x 1mm (4.25 x 2.66 x 0.1 in.) and 42.7g

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