The Mundrabilla meteorite is an iron meteorite found in 1911 in Australia,[1] one of the largest meteorites found, with a total known weight of 22 tonnes and the main mass (the single largest fragment) accounting for 12.4 tonnes.[3]
In 1911 an iron meteorite fragment of 112 g was found by Harry Kent, foreman in charge of camels for the Western Australian survey of the transcontinental railway route, at 31°1′S127°23′E / 31.017°S 127.383°E / -31.017; 127.383, on Premier Downs station on the Nullarbor Plain. The small meteorite was called Premier Downs I. Later in 1911 Kent found another small iron meteorite (116g) about 13 kilometres (8.1mi) west from the found location of Premier Downs I, named Premier Downs II. Both meteorites were medium octahedrites, believed to be part of the same fall.[4]
In 1918 a third similar small iron meteorite of 99g was found in the area by A. Ewing, named Premier Downs III.
In 1962 a small iron meteorite of 108g with similar characteristics was found near Loongana railway station by a rabbit trapper named Harrison. It was suggested as a possible pairing with the previous Premier Downs samples.[4]
In April 1966 two very large iron masses of 12.4 tonnes and 5.44 tonnes were found in the Nullarbor Plain at 30°47′S127°33′E / 30.783°S 127.550°E / -30.783; 127.550 by geologists R.B. Wilson and A.M. Cooney during a geological survey. The two masses were lying 180 metres (590ft) apart, in clayey soil within slight depressions. The masses were surrounded by a large number of small iron fragments. The meteorites were named Mundrabilla,[1][4] while the largest fragment, the eleventh largest found in the world as of 2013[update], is distinguished as Mundrabilla I.[5][6]
It has been suggested that the Mundrabilla meteorites are closely related to the Loongana Station and Premier Downs meteorites, and were shed from the same mass during atmospheric ablation.[7]
The secondary piece of the Mundrabilla meteorite, weighed at approximately 3.5 tons, was recovered in 1988. It was taken by train from Loongana to Perth where it was studied at the Western Australia Museum. It is now on display at the Museum of the Great Southern in Albany, Western Australia.[9]
An additional piece of the Mundrabilla meteorite in the foyer of the South Australian Museum.
Mundrabilla is classified as part of the IAB group. The IAB group is often viewed as complex of many different groups. In this complex, Mundrabilla, Waterville, and Buffalo Gap form the "Mundrabilla trio" or "Mundrabilla grouplet" (a group of meteorites with less than 5 members).[12][13] If two more meteorites with similar properties would be found they could form another group within the IAB complex.[14]
Superconductivity
In March 2018 it was reported that evidence of tiny traces of low temperature superconductivity was found in the 12.4 tonne main mass of the Mundrabilla meteorite. The superconductor appeared to be an alloy of indium, tin and possibly lead. This mix was already known as 5 Kelvin superconductor but the find is a scientific breakthrough in other ways. The significance is that the scientists validated their technique for searching for naturally occurring superconductors, and meteorites are a good starting point. 5 Kelvin is -268 Celsius, and the best superconductor to find would work without need for any cooling.[15]
↑ Bevan, Alex (March 1996). "Meteorites recovered from Australia"(PDF). Journal of the Royal Society of Western Australia. 78 (1): 38. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
↑ Schrope, Mark (October 2002). "Meteorite Mystery". Space Research. NASA Office of Biological and Physical Research. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
↑ Wasson, John T.; Kallemeyn, Greg W. (30 June 2002). "The IAB iron-meteorite complex: A group, five subgroups, numerous grouplets, closely related, mainly formed by crystal segregation in rapidly cooling melts". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 66 (13): 2445–2473. Bibcode:2002GeCoA..66.2445W. doi:10.1016/S0016-7037(02)00848-7. hdl:2060/20020080608.
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides". Once it settles on the larger body's surface, the meteor becomes a meteorite. Meteorites vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create an impact crater.
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Iron meteorites, also called siderites or ferrous meteorites, are a type of meteorite that consist overwhelmingly of an iron–nickel alloy known as meteoric iron that usually consists of two mineral phases: kamacite and taenite. Most iron meteorites originate from cores of planetesimals, with the exception of the IIE iron meteorite group
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This is a glossary of terms used in meteoritics, the science of meteorites.
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