Iron, fine octahedrite – IVA Gibeon; Great Nama Land, Namibia (25°23' S, 17°47' E)

Like most iron meteorites, Gibeon formed 4.5 billion years ago within the molten core of an asteroid whose shattered remains are now part of the asteroid belt. After wandering through interplanetary space, the Gibeon mass slammed into Earth’s atmosphere several thousand years ago where it exploded and rained down over what is now the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. In previous generations, indigenous tribesmen recovered small meteorite fragments at or near the surface and fashioned them into spear points and other tools. This specimen was recovered with the aid of a metal detector. Gibeon meteorites were not known to westerners until 1836. They formed deep in the iron core of an asteroid that resided between Mars and Jupiter.

As the crystalline intergrowth now seen does not appear in terrestrial iron ores, its presence is diagnostic for iron meteorites, and pattern variations are frequently indicative of an origin from a different asteroid. If lots 25 and 62 were cut — which should never occur — they would evidence a pattern similar to what is seen in the lot now offered. This latticework, referred to as a Widmanstätten pattern, is a product of the intergrowth of two different iron-nickel minerals: kamacite (a low-nickel variety) and taenite (a high-nickel variety). The reverse reveals the smoothly undulating natural external surface of the meteorite covered in a light chestnut-hued patina. Gibeon meteorites are known for their robust fine octahedral crystalline structure and this is a choice example.

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.

147 x 129 x 60mm (5.75 x 5 x 2.33 in.) and 4.040 kg (9 lbs)