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From: bogus_at_does.not.exist.com_at_meteoritecentral.com
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:14:48 2004 Message-ID: <mailman.37.1082643288.92629.meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com> pieces of Mt. Joy meteorite in the Museum of Natural History in Vienna = reminded me to write up my notes on the nine pieces of the meteorite = from south of Gettyburg which are on exhibit there in Austria. My studies of specimens of the Mt. Joy meteorite in the Smithsonian = Museum in Washington and in several European museums indicate that it is = not just one more iron meteorite but is outstanding for its very coarse = granular or brecciated structure. It is also of special interest that = Vienna and Washington authorities differ in classifying the Mt. Joy = iron. In the Viennese museum it is said to be an octahedrite, but in = the more recently assembled meteorite collection at the Smithsonain = their single specimen is called a hexahedrite meteorite. Near the middle of the first room of the large meteorite section of = the museum in Vienna are three small pieces of the Mt. Joy iron each = with a polished flat surface showing it to consist of large, irregular = shaped granules of metal 1 to 2 inches across which are separated by = dark, irregular boundary lines. A fourth polished specimen shows = inclusions of non-metallic materials, one of which is belived to be = hematite (ferric oxide). Several of the Mt. Joy polished surfaces in Vienna have been = treated with acide to produce the famous Widmanstaetten figures, = different series of parallel lines showing the complex octahedral or = hexahedral structure of such meteorites. The Vienne exhibit explains = that these lines result from the complex composition of kamacite (bar = iron of 5 to 7 percent nickel, tenite (band or ribbon iron of 25-30 = percent nickel) and plessite (a falling mixture of both kamacite and = tenite). The nickel content overall is said to be between 6 and 8 = percent. Recent research suggest that iron-nickel meteorites of such complex = structure as the Mt. Joy could only form in the interior of fair-sized = planets or asteroids.(at least 200 miles diameter) where cooling occured = not faster than 10 degrees C in a million years. Many scientists = believe that asteroids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter have supplied = such meteorites to the earth. Of course, the iron-nickel structures of = such meteorites cannot be duplicated in the laboratory. One etched polished Mt. Joy section shows unusally wide band = structure in the Widmanstaetten figures, over one inch wide. This, = together with teh conglomerate or brecciated structure of large = urregular metal pieces showing different polished luster, make the Mt. = Joy meteorite unique. The Vienna museum states that a somewhat similar = iron-nickel meteorite is the Amswortj meteorite of Nebraska (1907) H. H. = Nininger, the well-known expert of American Meteorite Museum at Sedona, = Arizona, hs written that the Mt. Joy meteorite is similar to the iron = meteorite from Sandia, New Mexico, in having the appearance of serarate = pieces of metal pressed together. Near windows marked numbers 30 and 31 (Vienna) atre two large = polished sections of the Mt. Joy meteorite each with its sepatate glass = case. One of these peice weighs 141 kg ( about 310 pounds). One of the = large pieces, unfortunately shows deterioration by rusting although = polished museum meteorite surfaces normally are protected by an oil = coatig. Several years ago George Olinger and I wrote to the Vienna Museum = inquiring for the Adams County Historical Society into the possibility = of exchanging one fo the small pieces of the Mt. Joy meteorite for = Amercian Indian artifacts or other valuable American museum material. = We did not receive a reply. Surely somewhere in the world a piece of = the Mt. Joy iron can be purchased for permanent public display in = Gettysburg. Gettysburg travelers in Europe should keep this objective = in mind. Apparently no specimen from the Mt. Joy meteorite now exists = in Adams County. However, I will be glad to be corrected on this by = readers of the Gettysburg Times. Sincerely yours,=20 C. E. Schildknecht ------=_NextPart_000_0063_01C3067C.6F00A350 Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=3DContent-Type = content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1> <META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1141" name=3DGENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY id=3DMailContainerBody=20 style=3D"PADDING-LEFT: 10px; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; = COLOR: #000000; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; PADDING-TOP: 15px; FONT-STYLE: = normal; FONT-FAMILY: Verdana; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; = BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; TEXT-DECORATION: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: = none"=20 leftMargin=3D0 topMargin=3D0 acc_role=3D"text" CanvasTabStop=3D"true"=20 name=3D"Compose message area"><?xml:namespace prefix=3D"v" = /><?xml:namespace prefix=3D"o" /> <DIV>Title: Gettysburg Times <BR>City: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania = <BR>Date:=20 Saturday, August 29, 1970<BR>Page: 5</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>From "LETTERS TO THE EDITOR" Section<BR>Dear=20 Sir:<BR> A photograph in the Gettysburg Times = recently=20 of one of the large pieces of Mt. Joy meteorite in the Museum of Natural = History=20 in Vienna reminded me to write up my notes on the nine pieces of the = meteorite=20 from south of Gettyburg which are on exhibit there in=20 Austria.<BR> My studies of specimens of the Mt. = Joy=20 meteorite in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington and in several = European=20 museums indicate that it is not just one more iron meteorite but is = outstanding=20 for its very coarse granular or brecciated structure. It is also = of=20 special interest that Vienna and Washington authorities differ in = classifying=20 the Mt. Joy iron. In the Viennese museum it is said to be an = octahedrite,=20 but in the more recently assembled meteorite collection at the = Smithsonain their=20 single specimen is called a hexahedrite = meteorite.<BR> =20 Near the middle of the first room of the large meteorite section of the = museum=20 in Vienna are three small pieces of the Mt. Joy iron each with a = polished flat=20 surface showing it to consist of large, irregular shaped granules of = metal 1 to=20 2 inches across which are separated by dark, irregular boundary = lines. A=20 fourth polished specimen shows inclusions of non-metallic materials, one = of=20 which is belived to be hematite (ferric = oxide).<BR> =20 Several of the Mt. Joy polished surfaces in Vienna have been treated = with acide=20 to produce the famous Widmanstaetten figures, different series of = parallel lines=20 showing the complex octahedral or hexahedral structure of such = meteorites. =20 The Vienne exhibit explains that these lines result from the complex = composition=20 of kamacite (bar iron of 5 to 7 percent nickel, tenite (band or ribbon = iron of=20 25-30 percent nickel) and plessite (a falling mixture of both kamacite = and=20 tenite). The nickel content overall is said to be between 6 and 8=20 percent.<BR> Recent research suggest that = iron-nickel=20 meteorites of such complex structure as the Mt. Joy could only form in = the=20 interior of fair-sized planets or asteroids.(at least 200 miles = diameter) where=20 cooling occured not faster than 10 degrees C in a million years. = Many=20 scientists believe that asteroids orbiting between Mars and Jupiter have = supplied such meteorites to the earth. Of course, the iron-nickel=20 structures of such meteorites cannot be duplicated in the=20 laboratory.<BR> One etched polished Mt. Joy = section=20 shows unusally wide band structure in the Widmanstaetten figures, over = one inch=20 wide. This, together with teh conglomerate or brecciated structure = of=20 large urregular metal pieces showing different polished luster, make the = Mt. Joy=20 meteorite unique. The Vienna museum states that a somewhat similar = iron-nickel meteorite is the Amswortj meteorite of Nebraska (1907) H. H. = Nininger, the well-known expert of American Meteorite Museum at Sedona, = Arizona,=20 hs written that the Mt. Joy meteorite is similar to the iron meteorite = from=20 Sandia, New Mexico, in having the appearance of serarate pieces of metal = pressed=20 together.<BR> Near windows marked numbers 30 and = 31=20 (Vienna) atre two large polished sections of the Mt. Joy meteorite each = with its=20 sepatate glass case. One of these peice weighs 141 kg ( about 310=20 pounds). One of the large pieces, unfortunately shows = deterioration by=20 rusting although polished museum meteorite surfaces normally are = protected by an=20 oil coatig.<BR> Several years ago George Olinger = and I=20 wrote to the Vienna Museum inquiring for the Adams County Historical = Society=20 into the possibility of exchanging one fo the small pieces of the Mt. = Joy=20 meteorite for Amercian Indian artifacts or other valuable American = museum=20 material. We did not receive a reply. Surely somewhere in = the world=20 a piece of the Mt. Joy iron can be purchased for permanent public = display in=20 Gettysburg. Gettysburg travelers in Europe should keep this = objective in=20 mind. Apparently no specimen from the Mt. Joy meteorite now exists = in=20 Adams County. However, I will be glad to be corrected on this by = readers=20 of the Gettysburg Times.<BR>Sincerely yours, <BR>C. E.=20 Schildknecht</DIV></BODY></HTML> ------=_NextPart_000_0063_01C3067C.6F00A350-- Received on Thu 22 Apr 2004 09:37:32 AM PDT |
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