Estherville, Mesosiderite-A3/4
Estherville produced one of the most spectacular bolides in recorded history 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.
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.
16.82 grams:
The below fusion-crusted fragment was posted to a meteorite identification group on Facebook in April, 2026. It had been passed down in the owner’s family for 147 years! They descended from the Barber family, who settled in the area in the mid-1800s. This 1930 Emmet Township plat map shows that the Barbers still lived just a few plots over from the Lees, where the ~200 kg Estherville main mass blew a 15-foot-deep hole into the Earth.
I had initially thought this specimen was an individual from the fall, however the history passed down with the family suggests that this is actually a fragment of the main mass that fell on the Lee farm. Either way, it’s a great specimen. The fusion crust is jet black, and the olivine crystals exposed on the surface are a crisp, pale green.
30.547 grams
