Brenham
is a
pallasite
The pallasites are a class of stony–iron meteorite.
Structure and composition
It consists of centimetre-sized olivine crystals of peridot quality in an iron-nickel matrix. Coarser metal areas develop Widmanstätten patterns upon etching. Mino ...
meteorite
A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the ...
found near
Haviland, a small town in
Kiowa County, Kansas
Kiowa County (standard abbreviation: KW) is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the county population was 2,460. The largest city and county seat is Greensburg, ...
, United States.
Pallasite
The pallasites are a class of stony–iron meteorite.
Structure and composition
It consists of centimetre-sized olivine crystals of peridot quality in an iron-nickel matrix. Coarser metal areas develop Widmanstätten patterns upon etching. Mino ...
s are a type of
stony–iron meteorite
Stony-iron meteorites or siderolites are meteorites that consist of nearly equal parts of meteoric iron and silicates. This distinguishes them from the stony meteorites, that are mostly silicates, and the iron meteorites, that are mostly meteoric ...
that when cut and polished show yellowish
olivine
The mineral olivine () is a magnesium iron silicate with the chemical formula . It is a type of nesosilicate or orthosilicate. The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle, it is a common mineral in Earth's subsurface, but weathers quickl ...
(peridot) crystals.
The Brenham meteorite is associated with the
Haviland Crater
The Haviland Crater, also called the Brenham Crater, is a meteorite crater (astrobleme) in Kiowa County, Kansas.
The oval crater is in diameter, making it one of the smallest impact craters in the world. Its age is estimated to be less than 1000 ...
.
History
In 1949, a collector named H.O. Stockwell discovered a mass of , known at the time as "The World's Largest Pallasite Meteorite."
In October 2005, geologist Philip Mani and meteorite hunter Steve Arnold located and recovered the largest fragment ever found of Brenham: a single
pallasite
The pallasites are a class of stony–iron meteorite.
Structure and composition
It consists of centimetre-sized olivine crystals of peridot quality in an iron-nickel matrix. Coarser metal areas develop Widmanstätten patterns upon etching. Mino ...
mass of .
Classification and composition
Brenham is an anomalous
pallasite
The pallasites are a class of stony–iron meteorite.
Structure and composition
It consists of centimetre-sized olivine crystals of peridot quality in an iron-nickel matrix. Coarser metal areas develop Widmanstätten patterns upon etching. Mino ...
(Pallasite-an).
Specimens
The mass found by Mani and Arnold is currently housed in a private collection in Texas.
The mass discovered in 1949 is called ''The Space Wanderer'' and is on display at
The Big Well in
Greensburg, Kansas
Greensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kiowa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of the city was 740. It is home to the world's largest hand-dug well. On the evening of May 4, 2007, Greens ...
. It was found, and excavated using hand tools, on the Ellis Peck farm, east of
Greensburg, Kansas
Greensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kiowa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of the city was 740. It is home to the world's largest hand-dug well. On the evening of May 4, 2007, Greens ...
.
A large collection of Brenham meteorites, along with numerous fragments weighing a total of 8,500 pounds, were once housed at the now-closed Kansas Meteorite Museum and Nature Center in
Haviland, Kansas
Haviland is a city in Kiowa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 678. It is home of Barclay College and known for meteorite finds connected to the Haviland Crater and for an annual meteorite ...
.
Big Well
The Big Well is a large historic water well in Greensburg, Kansas, United States. Visitors entered the well for a small fee, descending an illuminated stairway to the bottom of the well.
History
It began construction in 1887 at a cost of $45,000 ...
museum in Greensburg, Kansas
Greensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kiowa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population of the city was 740. It is home to the world's largest hand-dug well. On the evening of May 4, 2007, Greens ...
See also
*
Glossary of meteoritics
This is a glossary of terms used in meteoritics, the science of meteorites.
#
* 2 Pallas – an asteroid from the asteroid belt and one of the likely parent bodies of the CR meteorites.
* 4 Vesta – second-largest asteroid in the asteroid b ...
References
External links
*
The largest recovered Brenham oriented fragmenton World Record Meteorite Website
{{Meteorites by name
Meteorites found in the United States
Geology of Kansas
Stony-iron meteorites