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Campo Del Cielo (Recrystalized)

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Autographs Start Price:NA Estimated At:6,000.00 - 8,000.00 USD
Campo Del Cielo (Recrystalized)

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Auction Date:2020 Jul 16 @ 18:00 (UTC-5 : EST/CDT)
Location:15th Floor WeWork, Boston, Massachusetts, 02108, United States
ALS - Autograph Letter Signed
ANS - Autograph Note Signed
AQS - Autograph Quotation Signed
AMQS - Autograph Musical Quotation Signed
DS - Document Signed
FDC - First Day Cover
Inscribed - “Personalized”
ISP - Inscribed Signed Photograph
LS - Letter Signed
SP - Signed Photograph
TLS - Typed Letter Signed
Iron meteorite, IAB. First described 1576, Argentina. Full slice with laboratory-prepared surface and inclusions, 8,331 grams (18 1/3 pounds). The interiors of some iron meteorites tell a story that is markedly different from their exteriors, and this hefty Campo del Cielo lab-prepared section is just such an example. The structure of iron meteorites is determined by the examination of two nickel-iron alloys—taenite and kamacite. As a result of very slow cooling in space, these alloys typically form into a complex interlocking crystalline motif known as the Widmanstätten Pattern, named after Count Alois von Beckh Widmanstätten who recorded the phenomenon while experimenting with iron meteorites during the 19th century.

This miraculous lattice-like arrangement can be very beautiful and is generally visible only after iron meteorites have been carefully prepared in the laboratory by cutting and polishing, followed by etching of the cut surfaces with a volatile solution of alcohol and nitric acid, known as nitol. The kamacite crystals revealed by this process are measured and the average bandwidth is used to subdivide iron meteorites into a number of structural classes. An iron with very narrow bands, less than 1mm, is known as a “fine octahedrite,” while one with a very wide band would be described as a “coarse octahedrite.” Campo del Cielo is a coarse octahedrite and its silvery interlocking bands, known as lamellae, can very clearly be seen in this example. Note the black silicate-graphite-troilite inclusions. This hefty slice has been meticulously stabilized by an expert laboratory prep artist and should be around to be enjoyed for at least another 5,000 years. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Aerolite Meteorites.