Iron, fine octahedrite Kiruna, Sweden (67°48’ N, 23°6’ E)

Literally an extraterrestrial crystal ball, this meteorite has a robust fine octahedral crystalline fingerprint. A large (35 mm. or 1.33 in. diameter) troilite nodule—a seemingly roughly hewn bronze pupil in a metallic eye—is featured at one end. Troilite (iron sulfide) is very rarely encountered on Earth; in fact most troilite on Earth is of meteoritic origin. Most likely this is a Gibeon and indisputably it’s a IVA fine octahedral meteorite originating from the asteroid belt. Modern fashioning.
100 mm. (3.9 in.) in diameter.

4.06 kg. (8.9 lbs.)

Meteorites with the identical Widmanstätten patterns—the crystalline latticework of the two iron-nickel alloys of which iron meteorites are comprised—originate from the same parent body. The chemical differences between such meteorites are minute. When one is not certain as to whether a meteorite is a Gibeon or Muonionalusta, such as in the current circumstance, a comprehensive analysis of trace elements is required to be certain of a meteorite’s pedigree. The chromium concentration in this specimen indicates this is most likely a Gibeon meteorite, but it is not sufficiently conclusive to state without a doubt that it is. What is certain is that this is a choice three-dimensional display of an iron meteorite that originated from the core of an asteroid that broke apart and became responsible for all IVA iron meteorites.

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.