Superb Gibeon Meteorite—Natural Sculpture from Outer Space

The majority of iron meteorites, including this singular example, originated from the cores of asteroids that existed billions of years ago between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
About a thousand years ago, a mass which had been deflected out of the asteroid belt slammed into Earth's upper atmosphere and exploded above the Kalahari Desert before raining down on what is now Namibia. Although the overwhelming majority of iron-meteorite finds are nondescript prosaic masses, the specimen now offered is a distinguished exception. It is unusual for meteorites to have naturally formed holes, and it is ultra-rare for the hole to be large in relation to the size of the meteorite. The hole seen here expanded in size through the process of terrestrialization (exposure to the elements). There was a smaller hole or large depression in the meteorite that grew as the seasons changed and centuries turned. This meteorite’s morphology is the product of the fortuitous alignment of so many variables—not the least of which was the timing of its discovery and excavation. It was located by indigenous tribesmen in 1992. Had it remained in the ground, oxidation would have continued and over a period of centuries this would likely have become two arches; it would not be a singular mass with a large perforation, ranking it among the finest meteorites of its kind.

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 note.


Provenance:
Macovich Collection of Meteorites