Odessa Meteorite (8.4 grams) James Carter Coll.

Item Description

A sculptural nodule of meteorite from the well-known Odessa, Texas meteorite. The meteorite is classified as a coarse nickel-iron octahedrite. Discovered in 1921 or 22, the main Odessa crater is about 165 meters (535 feet) across. The bottom of the shallow crater is only about 6 feet (2 meters) below the plain and the rim rises only about 6 feet above the plain. The crater is filled with sand to a maximum depth of 30 feet. Four smaller craters were found near the main crater. All of these were completely filled. Time of the fall was Late Pleistocene, around 50,000 years ago. The meteorite has the typical iron oxidized rind. The sawed base reveals the metallic interior. Ex Dr. James Carter Collection. James was a professor of Geology and former Department Chairman at the University of Texas at Dallas for 43 years until he retired in 2008. A true geoscientist, he studied and performed research on a remarkable variety of geological aspects. NASA asked Carter to help create a material that was similar to actual lunar regolith. The lunar regolith simulant, or fake moon dirt, he developed was used by NASA and other researchers for studies in support of future human activities on the moon. Here's your chance to get an excellent small fragment of this famous Texas meteorite. 8.4 grams mass.