[meteorite-list] NPA 03-25-1924 Meteorite Iron Found in Savannah, TN

From: MARK BOSTICK <thebigcollector_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed Jul 20 14:57:12 2005
Message-ID: <BAY104-F4FE69952422E1C4477715B3D70_at_phx.gbl>

Paper: The Kingsport Times
City: Kingsport, Tennessee
Date: Tuesday, March 25, 1924
Page: 6 (of 16)

METEORIC IRON IS FOUND IN ROAD AT SAVANNAH, TENN.

Meteor Contained Iron, Nickel, Metallic Oxides, Phosphorous Sulphur and
Other Substances
By the Associated Press

     Nashville, Tenn. - A bulletin issued by the National Museum gives an
analysis and description of a meteoric iron, dug up from the public road at
Savannah, Tenn., and forwarded to the museum by Wilber A. Nelson, state
geologist.
     The meteor was cut into two sections by the museum geologists and this
required two weeks of sawing on account of the extremely hard substance of
iron and nickel. One-half section was retained in the museum and the other
half section and a mold of the entire iron was returned to the state
geological survey.
     "The appearance is certainly such as to suggest the welding of two
quite similar irons" along a line about the center of the meteor, rather
then a twinning, this being one of the two like finds in the world, the head
curator of the museum concluded.
     A description as given by Curator George P. Merrill follows:
     "As found the iron is in form of a rough, somewhat flattened dumbbell
shaped mass greatly oxidized on the exterior surface. Its maximum
dimensions were 143.5 by 35.5 by 16.5 cm. and its weight some 60 kilograms
(135 pounds). Neither dimensions nor weight can be given accurately, as
small fractions of oxidized material were continually scaling away.
     It was analyzed to show 83.+32 per cent iron, 7.762 per cent nickel,
5.895 per cent metallic oxides, 1.290 per cent water and smaller percentages
of cobalt, phosphorous, sulphur chlorine, carbon, silicon, manganese, copper
and insoluble matter.
     The inexplicable feature is that the substance which was so
impenetrable as to require two weeks for sawing should disintegrate so
rapidly after cross sectioning, according to Mr. Nelson. Vaseline baths are
given the section in the National Museum to keep the scaling off of small
pieces at a minimum.

(end)

This article refers to the Savannah meteorite. A single stone, 60 kg.,
found during 1923 in Hardin County, Tennessee. This meteorite is an
octahedrite (IIIAB).


Clear Skies,
Mark Bostick
Wichita, Kansas
http://www.meteoritearticles.com
http://www.kansasmeteoritesociety.com
http://www.imca.cc

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PDF copy of this article, and most I post (and about 1/2 of those on my
website), is available upon e-mail request.

The NPA in the subject line, stands for Newspaper Article. The old list
server allowed us a search feature the current does not, so I guess this is
more for quick reference and shortening the subject line now.
Received on Wed 20 Jul 2005 02:57:08 PM PDT