Bright chrome highlights accent the ridges, channels and flanges of a charcoal-hued patina that blankets the specimen. Striations are present in the shorn metal and three small holes further accent this mass whose centre is deceptively thick. The roughly hewn abstract character is testament to the immense shearing force on a large meteorite in flight, and the current example is from the largest of such events since the dawn of civilization.
3½ x 3 x 1in. (88 x 73 x 27mm.)

319g.

Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.

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Lot Essay

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 its orbit in the asteroid belt and ended the morning of 12 February 1947, when 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. Shorn from all sides, and evidencing the immense atmospheric forces on a meteorite piercing the atmosphere, this is a fascinating artefact of a cataclysmic event.
Post Lot Text
This lot has been imported from outside the EU for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.