Iron medium octahedrite – IIIAB; Northern Territory, Australia

The thick slice, superbly etched and finished on both sides, exhibiting the strong Widmanstätten pattern that Henbury is known for and including several rare graphite and troilite inclusions.

The Henbury meteorite was first recognized in 1931, although the Aboriginal peoples knew about the meteorite and have stories passed down for generations about the fall of a giant burning star. The Henbury meteorites come from a large crater field in the Australian outback and thousands of pieces totaling several tons have been found. These meteorites are widely distributed in museums and collections. The entire crater field is in the Henbury Craters Conservation Reserve, so future meteorite collection is forbidden. Henbury is a meteorite that no collection should be missing. This example is an expertly prepared slice, acquired in exchange with the Arizona Center for Meteorite Studies, the largest university-based collection in the world. This slab is a perfect size for any collection and with prestigious museum provenance including the original ASU label, specimen number 193H.7.

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.
270 mm x 195 mm x 8 mm (10²⁄₃ x 7²⁄₃ x ¹⁄₃ in.)
2.5kg.

Deaccessioned by the Center for Meteorite Studies 29 January 2018

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