On eBay Now...Campo del Cielo Meteorite IAB complex ,Gualamba Argentina Iron Nickel EA10422 For Sale
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Campo del Cielo Meteorite IAB complex ,Gualamba Argentina Iron Nickel EA10422:
$44.84
This specimen is a fragment of the famous Campo del Cielo meteorite, an Iron-Nickel meteorite (IAB complex) that fell in the Gran Chaco Gualamba region of Argentina around 1576. Weighing 6.24 grams and measuring 18 × 15 × 10 mm, this naturally shaped piece displays the dense metallic luster characteristic of octahedrite meteorites, with faint regmaglypted surfaces formed during atmospheric entry. Its silver-grey sheen and subtle natural patina testify to both its extraterrestrial origin and its long terrestrial history in the arid plains of northern Argentina.
The Campo del Cielo (“Field of Heaven”) meteorite field represents one of the largest and most historic iron meteorite falls known. The original event involved a massive iron body estimated to weigh several tens of tons, which broke apart upon entering Earth’s atmosphere and scattered over an area more than 60 kilometres long. Indigenous peoples of the region were aware of the metallic fragments long before European discovery, using portions as tools and ceremonial objects. Spanish explorers officially recorded the fall in 1576, making Campo del Cielo one of the earliest documented meteorite discoveries in the world.
Classified as an Iron-Nickel meteorite of structural class IAB and a polycrystalline coarse octahedrite, Campo del Cielo exhibits a characteristic Widmanstätten pattern when cut and etched—formed by the slow cooling of its parent body’s metallic core over millions of years. The alloy primarily consists of kamacite and taenite, with minor inclusions of troilite and graphite. This crystalline structure reveals that the meteorite originated deep within the core of a differentiated asteroid, providing insight into the earliest processes of planetary formation and the internal composition of metallic asteroids.
This Campo del Cielo specimen combines scientific significance, aesthetic appeal, and historical context. As one of Earth’s most famous meteorite finds, it represents a direct fragment of the solar system’s formative history—material that crystallised in space billions of years ago before falling to Earth in the 16th century. This specimen is mounted in a floating frame, and a Geological Time Scale for contextual display and documentation.