Name/Title
MeteoriteEntry/Object ID
2002.1.38Description
Chemical Composition: Fe, Ni
Crystal System: Cubic or Isometric S
Description: Common Name: Meteorite
Chemistry: Fe, Ni
Group: Iron
Location: Nantan (Nandan) County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China
Description: Very silvery, metallic 'look' due to coating. Internal crystaline structure very prominent. In Feb 2012, this specimen was identified by Dick Pugh, PhD, of the Portland Meteor Lab as being a Nantan with de-rust treatment and protective coating.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
The Nantan meteorite fall was witnessed in May of the year 1516 during the reign of the Chinese Emperor Zhengde. Most of the Nantans that are seen are heavily rusted. The Museum's specimen was coated with a "protective" coat to keep it from falling apart, prior to accession. If you were to pick up some of these very rusty Nantans they would feel much lighter than would be expected for an iron meteorite. This is because a large portion of the meteorite is composed of iron oxide (rust) and not iron! By contrast, this piece comes from the core of a large meteorite, where there is no rust. These core pieces are very heavy, as you would expect an iron meteorite to be, and they are stable. They also show the internal crystaline structure of the Nantan meteorite without having to cut and etch them. Nantans are composed of approximately 89% iron, 6.8% nickel and trace amounts of a variety of rare elements.
Type of Fossils Present: None
Hardness: 9 Corundum
Luster: Metallic
Occurrence: Kamacite is a mineral. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, usually in the proportions of 90:10 to 95:5 although impurities such as cobalt or carbon may be present. On the surface of Earth, it occurs naturally only in meteorites. It has a metallic luster, is gray and has no clear cleavage although the structure is isometric-hexoctahedral. Its density is around 8 g/cm³ and its hardness is 4 on the Mohs scale. It is also sometimes called balkeneisen.
The name was coined in 1861 and is derived from the Greek kamask (lath or beam). It is a major constituent of iron meteorites (octahedrite and hexahedrite types). In the octahedrites it is found in bands interleaving with taenite forming Widmanstätten patterns. In hexahedrites, fine parallel lines called Neumann lines are often seen, which are evidence for structural deformation of adjacent kamacite plates due to shock from impacts.
Pressure: High
Rock Color: Medium
Rock Origin: Terrestrial
Rock Type: Metamorphic
Surface Process: Not apparent
Texture: Mircocrystalline
Variety: "Fall" was witnessed in May, 1516, during the reign of the Chinese Emperor ZhengdeCollection
Museum Meteorite CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2002.1Source or Donor
Museum Meteorite CollectionAcquisition Method
Long-term LoanOther Names and Numbers
Other Names
Name Type
New Accession NumberOther Name
2020.10.6Other Numbers
Number Type
Display Dice NumberNumber Type
Display Dice NumberOther Number
56Dimensions
Width
1 inDepth
11/16 inLength
1-1/2 inWeight
2.4 ozDimension Notes
Dimension taken at widest points.
Weight is in ounces.Dimension Description
New Measurements taken 10/3/2020Height
4 cmWidth
3 cmDepth
2 cmWeight
66.8 gLocation
Category
OffsiteDate
April 4, 2024
