NATURAL HOLE IN PALM-SIZE CAMPO DEL CIELO METEORITE, Iron coarse octahedrite – IAB-MG Gran Chaco, Argentina

The result of cleavage along its crystalline planes, this specimen is largely flat on both sides. The smooth textured surface is embossed in a pewter patina; the shallow scalloping is accented in a deeper gunmetal hue. An ejected sulfide inclusion resulted in a rare naturally formed hole — a rarity.
85 x 54 x 13 mm. (3⅓ x 2 x ½ in.) and 233 g. (½ lbs)

A rarely seen natural hole in an iron meteorite. Campo del Cielo (“Valley of the Sky”) meteorites are the result of a cataclysmic collision between two asteroids in interplanetary space while traveling at cosmic velocity. When a large fragment from this collision hit Earth’s upper atmosphere more than 4,000 years ago, the pressure caused the fragment to explode into thousands of pieces. While this is the smallest Campo del Cielo meteorite in this sale, it contains a sought-after rarity, a naturally formed hole. While this would make for a heavy adornment on a keychain, now offered is a pocketful of wonder that originated from an asteroid between Jupiter and Mars and that is older than any rock on Earth.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalog note.