Description
- Nantan Meteorite
- Specimen will come in the 6.25″ x 8.25″ Riker Mount as Shown. Meteorite is housed in the 1.25″ Gem Jar inside of the Riker Mount.
The Nantan meteorite is an iron meteorite that belongs to the IAB group and the MG (main group) subgroup.
The fall of the meteorite might have been observed in 1516, but it is difficult to assess if this event is connected with the pieces that were retrieved in 1958.
The meteorite burst during passage through the atmosphere and the pieces were scattered in a strewn field 28 kilometres (17 mi) long and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide near the city of Nantan, Nandan County, Guangxi (China). The meteorite was named after the city.
The fragments were not retrieved until the 1950s when they were gathered for smelting to make metal for the growing industrialization of China. It was found that the meteoric iron contained too much nickel for smelting.
