SIKHOTE-ALIN METEORITE — COMPLETE INDIVIDUAL METEORITE FROM THE LARGEST METEORITE SHOWER SINCE THE DAWN OF CIVILIZATION
Iron, coarse octahedrite
Martitime Territory, Siberia

February 12, 1947 is the date of the largest meteorite shower of the last several thousand years. Streaking over Siberia’s Sikhote-Alin Mountains, the enormous fireball was so bright—brighter than the sun—that it cast moving shadows in broad daylight. When a large mass violently exploded a few miles above the Earth, tons of material was sent hurtling onto the snowy terrain below. The local populace was terrified; from a distance of fifty miles it appeared the sky was on fire. Craters were created, trees were impaled, yet, miraculously, no one was injured as the area of impact was unpopulated. There are two distinct types of Sikhote-Alin: shrapnel-like fragments resulting from the low-altitude explosion of the large mass previously described and the more sought-after smooth individuals—like the current offering—whose sculpting and abundant regmaglypts (thumbprints) are the result of this meteorite’s solitary descent through Earth’s atmosphere. This is an articulated hand-axe-sized specimen which reveals the finest attributes of complete Sikhote-Alin meteorites. Scores of thumbprints cover every surface; a muted, burnished patina blankets the thumbprints as well as the fusion crust (the crust which forms on the exterior surface of a meteorite as it burns through our atmosphere). This is an exemplary example of a freshly fallen iron meteorite. 125 x 69 x 23mm (5 x 2.75 x 1 inches) and 867 grams (2 pounds).

Estimate: $1,800 - 2,500