Iron, coarsest octahedrite – IIAB Maritime Territory, Siberia, Russia

This specimen is from the low altitude explosion of one of the most frightening natural phenomena ever experienced: the largest meteorite shower since the dawn of civilization. Its journey began approximately 320 million years ago when a large iron mass was deflected out of the asteroid belt and ended the morning of 12 February 1947, where it slammed into Earth’s atmosphere and streaked over the Sikhote-Alin Mountains in eastern Siberia. The main mass exploded at an altitude of about six kilometers and more than 60 tons of material was hurled onto the snowy terrain. On the ground, the resulting shock wave collapsed chimneys, shattered windows and uprooted trees. This meteorite is a relic from the low-altitude explosion from the most frightening meteorite shower in modern times.

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 catalog note.