Arispe, IC

Arispe is a member of a relatively small and chemically interesting magmatic iron group. It also has a very high terrestrial age: 240,000±50,000 yrs.  The first masses were brought to the attention of scientists in 1896, but were likely known to locals for much longer.  More individuals have sporadically come to light over the past ~century, resulting in a total known weight of over 650 kilograms.  Documented find locations of individual pieces delineate a sparse, 20+ mile long strewnfield in a remote mountainous area of the Sonoran Desert.

Here’s Buchwald’s description of the iron.

Since it was one of the few iron strewnfields that was reasonably well documented in published sources, we decided to pay the area a visit back in 2003.  We spent several days in the field, but found no meteorites.  I’d like to return some day, but don’t think it would be safe at present.

1.6 kg full slice, Nininger #9.44.  This slab was cut from the 60.3 kg mass recovered by H. H. Nininger.  To learn why this specimen looks like it’s ready to explore the ocean floor, check out this page on John A. Lednicky and the history of the Bondoc meteorite.

Some images by Austin Auction Gallery, with permission.