Australia | Southwest Meteorite Laboratory

Veevers

Meteorites were discovered in 1988 by Gene and Carolyn Shoemaker; the crater was identify earlier. The location was difficult to get to but eventually adventurers did find it and found a few specimens.

Meteoritical Bulletin: MB 67
Thirty-four small, metallic fragments, the largest weighing 36 g, have been recovered around a crater 80 metres in diameter, E. Shoemaker (1988) pers. comm. Classification, analysis, 5.8% Ni, 57.7 ppm Ga, 160 ppm Ge, 0.028 ppm Ir, J. T. Wasson et al. (1989) Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 53, 735.

Earth Impact Database:
Veevers Crater
Western Australia, Australia
D = 0.08 km, Age < 1 Ma; exposed Impact crater cited in the Earth Impact Database, maintained by the Planetary and Space Science Centre, University of New Brunswick, Canada.

Bencubbin

The first mass (54.2 kg) of Bencubbin was discovered in 1930 during ploughing. A second, larger mass (64.6 kg) was found in 1959 and donated to the Western Australian Museum by Mr Fred Hardwick, and a third mass (15.76 kg) was found in 1974. Bencubbin has subsequently proved to be an extreme rarity and have significant scientific importance. Originally classified as a ‘stony-iron’, today it is recognized as the type specimen of a new group of carbonaceous chondrites (CB), or ‘Bencubbinites’. Bencubbin is a breccia (a rock formed of angular fragments cemented by a finer material) enclosing clasts of material from other chondritic groups, and the meteorite remains the subject of extensive ongoing research.

Australite

Age: 600-800 thousand years
Australite types based on the aerodynamic shapes formed by ablation are buttons, cores, vals, dumbbells, canoes and tears. Flanged australites are the most sought after.

Darwin Glass

Age: 73 thousand years
Gray to olive-green impact glass.

Wolf Creek

A large circular crater was first observed from the air in June 1947. Fragments of iron-shale are abundant on the SW part of the crater rim; they contain 3.5% to 4.5% Ni, some retain a little unaltered metal, Spec. Publ. West. Austr. Mus., 1965, (3), p.52, M.H.Hey, Cat. Met., 1966, p.523. Description of crater and material, W.A.Cassidy, Meteoritics, 1954, 1, p.197; L.LaPaz, Meteoritics, 1954, 1, 200. Further material, 1.3kg found, analysis, S.R.Taylor, Nature, 1965, 208, p.944. Further analysis, 9.22% Ni, 18.4 ppm Ga, 37.3 ppm Ge, 0.036 ppm Ir, E.R.D.Scott et al., GCA, 1973, 37, p.1957. Another analysis, J.R.de Laeter, J. Roy. Soc. West. Austr., 1973, 56, p.123. Metallographic description; a little deformed or fractured, V.F.Buchwald, Handbook of Iron Meteorites, Univ. of California, 1975, p.1327. Contains pecoraite, a hydrated Ni silicate, G.T.Faust et al., U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Paper, 1973, (384C), A.L.Graham et al., Cat. Met., 1985, p.374. Calculation of meteoroid fragmentation sequence, B.Lang and K.Franaszczuk, LPSC, 1987, 18, p.531 (abs.). Calculation of terminal meteoroid mass and impact energy, D.O.ReVelle and R.S.Rajan, LPSC, 1989, 20, p.896 (abs.). Formation age of the crater is about 300,000 years, E.M.Shoemaker et al., Meteoritics, 1990, 25, p.409 (abs.). Siderophile element abundances in metal, impactites and target rock, M.Attrep et al., LPSC, 1991, 22, p.39 (abs.).

Tenham

About 350lb of stones were recovered. The shower was seen to fall over an area of over 12 x 3 miles near Tenham station, A.L.Graham et al., Cat. Met., 1985, p.344. Description, with an analysis, and details of previous literature, L.J.Spencer, Min. Mag., 1937, 24, p.437. New discussion of trajectory, B.Mason, Meteoritics, 1973, 8, p.1. Size distribution, M.J.Frost, Meteoritics, 1969, 4, p.217, B.Hellyer, Observatory, 1971, 91, p.64. Contains ringwoodite, R.A.Binns et al., Nature, 1969, 221, p.943, A.Putnis and G.D.Price, Nature, 1979, 280, p.217. Partial INAA, 19.0% total Fe, R.A.Schmitt et al., Meteoritics, 1972, 7, p.131. Study of shock-produced veins, H.Mori and H.Takeda, Papers 8th Symp. Ant. Met., NIPR Tokyo, 1983, p.14; Papers 9th Symp. Ant. Met., NIPR Tokyo, 1984, p.52. TL data, M.Haq et al., GCA, 1988, 52, p.1679. Bulk density and porosity, M.Terho et al., Studia Geophysica et Geodaedica, 1993, 37, p.65; see also, D.T.Britt and G.J.Consolmagno, MAPS, 2003, 38, p.1161. TEM study of shock features, F.Langenhorst et al., Meteoritics, 1994, 29, p.489 (abs.). Shock classification, contains ringwoodite, C.M.Lingemann and D.St

Mount Egerton

Four fragments, totalling 1.7kg, submitted for examination by M.T.Gaffney from a place 12 miles from Mt. Egerton (coordinates given), consist of Fe-Ni metal with 6.38% Ni embedded in large crystals of enstatite, one of which measures 8.5 x 5 x 2.8 cm; schreibersite, troilite, and possibly oldhamite are present, H.Bowley, Ann. Rep. Dept. Mines West. Austr. for 1942, 1944, p.76, M.H.Hey, Cat. Met., 1966, p.322. Description, G.J.H.McCall, Min. Mag., 1965, 35, p.241. Listed, Spec. Publ. West. Austr. Mus., 1965, (3), p.42. In December 1963, further specimens, totalling 250g, were found. An additional find of thousands of small fragments, of total weight about 20kg, was made in June 1966, 8 miles from the summit of Mount Egerton towards no.3 well, 24

Mundrabilla

The two largest masses, 11 ton and 5 ton, were found in 1966. Another 1640 kg mass was found in 1979. Many smaller individuals have been recovered by rabbit hunters and meteorite seekers. The meteorites are chemically and structurally anomalous. Cross-sections exhibit an unusual sulfide-silicate distribution pattern.

Murchison

An iconic meteorite location which began with the fall of hundreds of small meteorites in the village of Murchison, Victoria, Australia. It was September 1969, just two months after Armstrong’s walk on the moon. The fall was heard and seen by locals who found about a hundred shortly after the fall. The meteorite is an ancient carbonaceous stone classified as a CM2 (Carbonaceous Mighei, type 2). Researchers discovered in Murchison more than one hundred amino acid, “The building blocks of life.” These types of meteorites are among the most fascinating research material with implications towards panspermia: the role of organic molecules in meteorites as seeding life on our planet.

Maralinga

One mass of 3.38kg (weight given in error as 33.8kg) was found on a sandy ridge, Met. Bull. 70, Meteoritics, 1991, 26, p.69. Petrography, analysis, classification as a CK chondrite, G.W.Kallemeyn et al., GCA, 1991, 55, p.881. INAA, bulk composition, significantly depleted in Mo and Re, which indicates a heating event under highly oxidizing nebular conditions, G.Kurat et al., Meteoritics, 1991, 26, p.360 (abs.). Major and trace element analysis, T.Geiger and B.Spettel, LPSC, 1991, 22, p.433 (abs.). Mineralogy and chemical composition, classified as anomalous member of CK-group, because of high abundance of chondrules and CAIs, L.P.Keller et al., Meteoritics, 1992, 27, p.87. Cosmic-ray exposure age 6 Ma (similar to ALH82135, 7 Ma), O.Eugster and A.Weigel, Meteoritics, 1992, 27, p.219 (abs.). Minor silicate darkening by shock metamorphism, plagioclase analysis, shock classification, A.E.Rubin, GCA, 1992, 56, p.1705. Petrography and mineral chemistry of CAIs, L.P.Keller, LPSC, 1992, 23, p.671 (abs.). Analysis of plagioclase, L.P.Keller, LPSC, 1993, 24, p.783 (abs.). INAA of CAIs, D.J.Lindstrom et al., LPSC, 1993, 24, p.877 (abs.). Mineralogy and petrology, metamorphic history, T.Noguchi, Proc. NIPR Symp. Ant. Met., 1993, (6), p.204. Cosmogenic radionuclide data, K.Nishiizumi et al., LPSC, 1993, 24, p.1085 (abs.). Sulfur, Se, Na and Ni abundances, G.Dreibus et al., Meteoritics, 1995, 30, p.439. Study of plagioclase-, olivine-, spinel- and magnetite-rich inclusion with zonal structure, E.Zinner et al., Meteoritics, 1995, 30, p.605 (abs.). IR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, K.Sato et al., Papers 21st Symp. Ant. Met., NIPR Tokyo, 1996, p.151 (abs.). Noble gas data and exposure ages, E.Polnau et al., MAPS, 1996, 31, p.A109 (abs.). Cosmic-ray exposure age, P.Scherer et al., MAPS, 1997, 32, p.A115 (abs.). IR diffuse reflectance spectra, K.Sato et al., MAPS, 1997, 32, p.503. Liquid permeability, C.M.Corrigan et al., MAPS, 1997, 32, p.509. Determination of grain density, L.B.Moore et al., LPSC, 1999, 30, abs. #1128. Oxygen isotopic composition, R.N.Clayton and T.K.Mayeda, GCA, 1999, 63, p.2089. Noble gas data, cosmic-ray exposure age, P.Scherer and L.Schultz, MAPS, 2000, 35, p.145.