Canyon Diablo Meteorite

Property of a Private European Collection

Canyon Diablo Meteorite

Iron, Coarse Octahedrite Meteorite — IAB-MG, Coconino County, Arizona, USA. (35°03′N 111°02′W)

7.5 x 4.25 x 4 in. (190 x 108 x 102 mm). 8.8 lbs. (4 kg). Old catalogue number of "34.5605" in lower left quadrant.

This hand-sized specimen shows contours of the characteristic regmaglypts (thumbprint-like depressions) with a natural desert patina, produced by oxidation over a long period of time. Internally (not visible), this specimen boasts a Widmanstätten structure, characteristic of all iron-based meteorites.

Named for nearby Canyon Diablo, this (and other meteorites) are fragments of a massive asteroid impact that created Meteor Canyon, Arizona, approximately 49,000 years ago. It is estimated to be approximately the same age as the Earth itself, around 4.5 billion years old.