Sericho Meteorite "Skeleton"

AN UNCOMMON FORM OF AN ICONIC PALLASITE

In 2016, two camel-herding brothers stumbled upon a number of large stones west of the village of Habaswein, south of Sericho, Kenya. As there were no other rocks in the area, the brothers decided that these must have been meteorites. Spending several weeks collecting the stones — sometimes using a hydraulic hoist because of their immense size and weight — they moved them into their homes in Habaswein. As it turns out, other locals had known about the stones for decades, and would even play atop them, but they were only recognized as meteorites after their rediscovery in 2016. To date, more than 2.8 tons of Sericho have been found in a strewn field more than 28 miles (45 km) long.

Pallasites such as Sericho are incredibly rare, accounting for .2% — or just 1 out of 500 — of all meteorite finds. In this case, the olivine gemstones that would once have been found within the iron-nickel matrix have weathered away, resulting in the beguiling, extraterrestrial jagged metal structure offered here.

REFERENCES:

Meteoritical Bulletin Entry for Sericho