Estherville, Mesosiderite-A3/4

Estherville was one of the most spectacular bolides yet witnessed when it tore its way through Earth’s atmosphere above Iowa in 1879.  The following papers are 1) a thorough description of the event and early description of the meteorite, and 2) a more modern take on dating the various components of the meteorite.

Study of the Emmet County Meteorite, that fell near Emmet County, Iowa, May 10, 1879, by J.Lawrence Smith

The Estherville mesosiderite: U-Pb, Rb-Sr,and Sm-Nd isotopic study of a polymict breccia, by M.Brouxel and M.Tatsumoto

When this meteorite fell, thousands of small metal ‘nuggets’ ablated out of the less-durable stony matrix.  This is one of those specimens.  Many thanks to Anne Black for making this 4.19 gram complete individual available.DSCN5884 DSCN5885 DSCN5886

16.82 grams: