canyon diablo meteorites

The Canyon Diablo Meteorite comes from the plains around the faous Meteor Crater in northern Arizona, 35 miles east of Flagstaff. The meteorite is named after the nearest landmark, which is the winding, dry, Canyon Diablo 3 miles west of the impact site.

Meteor crater had it’s birth approximately 50,000 years ago when a huge iron-nickel meteorite, most likely a piece of an asteroid, streaked through the Northern Arizona sky, impacting in the flat plains and leaving a crater 4000 feet across and 700 feet deep. The meteorite is estimated to have been about 160 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons. The earth was struck with an explosive force in excess of 20 million tons of TNT.

Modern settlers did not discover meteor crater until the 1870s. It was at first thought to be of volcanic origin. It was not until the early 1900s that the theory was posed that Meteor Crater was caused by a meteorite impact. There was a belief by Daniel Moreau Barringer that a huge meteorite weighing millions of tons must lie below the floor of the crater. A mining claim was filed and drilling operations began in 1905 in search of the meteorite. Drilling continued off and on until 1929 when it became evident that there was no meteorite to be found. A meteorite of this great size and traveling at the speed required to blow such a crater in the Arizona plains also generated enough kinetic energy to generate enough heat to vaporize the meteorite nearly completely.

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1245 grams. Specimen measures approximately 127 mm by 44 mm by 38 mm. Measurements taken at widest point. $1250-

1765 grams. Specimen measures approximately 139 mm by 88 mm by 39 mm. Measurements taken at widest point. $1500-