Cape York meteorite
Encyclopedia
The Cape York meteorite is named for Cape York, the location of its discovery in Savissivik
, Greenland
, and is one of the largest iron meteorite
s in the world.
The meteorite collided with Earth nearly 10,000 years ago. The iron masses were known to Inuit
as Ahnighito (the Tent), weighing 31 metric tons; the Woman, weighing 3 metric tons; and the Dog, weighing 400 kg. For centuries, Inuit living near the meteorites used them as a source of metal for tools and harpoons.
The first stories of its existence reached scientific circles in 1818. Five expeditions between 1818 and 1883 failed to find the source of the iron. It was located in 1894 by Robert E. Peary, the famous American Navy Arctic explorer, who had enlisted the help of a local Inuit guide - the one who brought him to Saviksoah Island, just off northern Greenland's Cape York in 1894. It took Peary three years to arrange and carry out the loading of the heavy iron meteorites onto ships. It required the building of Greenland's only (small and short) railroad. Having taken the meterorites from the Inuit and given them nothing in return, Perry sold the pieces for $40,000 to the American Museum of Natural History
in New York City
where they are still on display.
At the American Museum of Natural History today the 3.4 x 2.1 x 1.7 meter Ahnighito is for viewing in the Arthur Ross Hall. The heaviest meteorite that has ever been moved by man, it is so heavy that it was necessary to build its display stand so that its supports reached through directly to the bedrock below the museum.
In 1963, a fourth major piece of the Cape York meteorite was discovered by Vagn F. Buchwald near Agpalilik. The Agpalilik meteorite, also known as the Man, weighs about 20 metric tons, and it is currently on display in the Geological Museum of the University of Copenhagen
, Denmark
. Other smaller pieces have also been found, such as the 3 tonne Savik I meteorite found in 1911 and the 250 kg Tunorput fragment found in 1984.
(medium octahedrite
) and belongs to the chemical group IIIAB.
There are abundant elongated troilite
nodules. The troilite nodules contain inclusions of chromite
, sulfide
s, phosphate
s, silica and copper
. The rare nitride
mineral carlsbergite (CrN) occurs within the matrix of the metal phase. Graphite
was not observed and the nitrogen isotopes are in disequilibrium.
Savissivik
Savissivik is a settlement in the Qaasuitsup municipality, in northern Greenland...
, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
, and is one of the largest iron meteorite
Iron meteorite
Iron meteorites are meteorites that consist overwhelmingly of nickel-iron alloys. The metal taken from these meteorites is known as meteoric iron and was one of the earliest sources of usable iron available to humans.-Occurrence:...
s in the world.
History
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
as Ahnighito (the Tent), weighing 31 metric tons; the Woman, weighing 3 metric tons; and the Dog, weighing 400 kg. For centuries, Inuit living near the meteorites used them as a source of metal for tools and harpoons.
The first stories of its existence reached scientific circles in 1818. Five expeditions between 1818 and 1883 failed to find the source of the iron. It was located in 1894 by Robert E. Peary, the famous American Navy Arctic explorer, who had enlisted the help of a local Inuit guide - the one who brought him to Saviksoah Island, just off northern Greenland's Cape York in 1894. It took Peary three years to arrange and carry out the loading of the heavy iron meteorites onto ships. It required the building of Greenland's only (small and short) railroad. Having taken the meterorites from the Inuit and given them nothing in return, Perry sold the pieces for $40,000 to the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where they are still on display.
At the American Museum of Natural History today the 3.4 x 2.1 x 1.7 meter Ahnighito is for viewing in the Arthur Ross Hall. The heaviest meteorite that has ever been moved by man, it is so heavy that it was necessary to build its display stand so that its supports reached through directly to the bedrock below the museum.
In 1963, a fourth major piece of the Cape York meteorite was discovered by Vagn F. Buchwald near Agpalilik. The Agpalilik meteorite, also known as the Man, weighs about 20 metric tons, and it is currently on display in the Geological Museum of the University of Copenhagen
University of Copenhagen
The University of Copenhagen is the oldest and largest university and research institution in Denmark. Founded in 1479, it has more than 37,000 students, the majority of whom are female , and more than 7,000 employees. The university has several campuses located in and around Copenhagen, with the...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. Other smaller pieces have also been found, such as the 3 tonne Savik I meteorite found in 1911 and the 250 kg Tunorput fragment found in 1984.
Specimens
Each of the most important fragments of Cape York has its own name (listed in order of discovery date):- Ahnighito (the Tent), 30,900 kg, 1884-1897, Meteorite Island, 76°04'N - 64°58'W
- Woman, 3,000 kg, 1897, Saveruluk, 76°09'N - 64°56'W
- Dog, 400 kg, 1897, Saveruluk, 76°09'N - 64°56'W
- Savik I, 3,400 kg, 1913, Savequarfik, 76°08'N - 64°36'W
- Thule, 48.6 kg, summer 1955, ThuleThuleThule Greek: Θούλη, Thoulē), also spelled Thula, Thila, or Thyïlea, is, in classical European literature and maps, a region in the far north. Though often considered to be an island in antiquity, modern interpretations of what was meant by Thule often identify it as Norway. Other interpretations...
, 76°32'N - 67°33'W - Savik II, 7.8 kg, 1961, Savequarfik, 76°08'N - 64°36'W
- Agpalilik (the Man), 20,000 kg, 1963, Agpalilik, 76°09'N - 65°10'W
- Tunorput, 250 kg, 1984
Composition and classification
It is an iron meteoriteIron meteorite
Iron meteorites are meteorites that consist overwhelmingly of nickel-iron alloys. The metal taken from these meteorites is known as meteoric iron and was one of the earliest sources of usable iron available to humans.-Occurrence:...
(medium octahedrite
Octahedrite
Octahedrites are a class of iron meteorites within the structural classification. They are the most common class of iron meteorites.They are composed primarily of the nickel-iron alloys: taenite - high nickel content, and kamacite - low nickel content....
) and belongs to the chemical group IIIAB.
There are abundant elongated troilite
Troilite
Troilite is a rare iron sulfide mineral with the simple formula of FeS. It is the iron rich endmember of the pyrrhotite group. Pyrrhotite has the formula FeS which is iron deficient...
nodules. The troilite nodules contain inclusions of chromite
Chromite
Chromite is an iron chromium oxide: FeCr2O4. It is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. Magnesium can substitute for iron in variable amounts as it forms a solid solution with magnesiochromite ; substitution of aluminium occurs leading to hercynite .-Occurrence:Chromite is found in...
, sulfide
Sulfide
A sulfide is an anion of sulfur in its lowest oxidation state of 2-. Sulfide is also a slightly archaic term for thioethers, a common type of organosulfur compound that are well known for their bad odors.- Properties :...
s, phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...
s, silica and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
. The rare nitride
Nitride
In chemistry, a nitride is a compound of nitrogen where nitrogen has a formal oxidation state of −3. Nitrides are a large class of compounds with a wide range of properties and applications....
mineral carlsbergite (CrN) occurs within the matrix of the metal phase. Graphite
Graphite
The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
was not observed and the nitrogen isotopes are in disequilibrium.
See also
- History of ferrous metallurgyHistory of ferrous metallurgyThe history of ferrous metallurgy began far back in prehistory. The earliest surviving iron artifacts, from the 5th millennium BC in Iran and 2nd millennium BC in China, were made from meteoritic iron-nickel. It is not known when or where the smelting of iron from ores began, but by the end of the...
- ArchaeometallurgyArchaeometallurgyArchaeometallurgy is the study of the history and prehistory of metals and their use through humans. It is a sub-discipline of archaeology and archaeological science...
- Metallurgy in Pre-Columbian AmericaMetallurgy in Pre-Columbian AmericaMetallury in pre-Columbian America is the extraction and purification of metals, as well as creating metal alloys and fabrication with metal by Indigenous peoples of the Americas prior to European contact in the late 15th centuries. Indigenous Americans have been using native metals from ancient...
- Inuit cultureInuit cultureInuit describes the various groups of indigenous peoples who live in the central and northeastern Canadian Arctic, as well as in Greenland. The term culture of the Inuit, therefore, refers primarily to these areas; however, parallels to other Eskimo groups can also be drawn.The traditional...