OLDEST MATTER KNOWN CONTAINED IN VERY LARGE SPECIMEN OF ALLENDE

Lot 47
06.04.2022 14:00UTC +00:00
Classic
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£ 44 100
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
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ID 737536
Lot 47 | OLDEST MATTER KNOWN CONTAINED IN VERY LARGE SPECIMEN OF ALLENDE
Estimate value
£ 70 000 – 100 000
Draped in large patches of fusion crust which formed as a result of frictional heating during its plunge through Earth’s atmosphere. Sections of the surface reveal a graphite-hued matrix packed with inclusions including the prominent CAIs, which are the oldest matter humankind can touch.

Allende fell to Earth on February 8, 1969 at 1:05 AM near Chihuahua, Mexico. Several new minerals have been discovered in Allende including a titanium oxide named panguite after the ancient Chinese god Pan Gu , the creator of the world who separated yin from yang, the earth from the sky.

Allende is the most studied meteorite in the world. Hundreds of scientific papers have been written about the meteorite and its components. The sample now offered contains tiny pre-solar grains that formed in the gaseous envelopes around dying stars long before the formation of our solar system 4.56 billion years ago. Also present in Allende are prominent white clasts, known as calcium-aluminum inclusions (CAIs), which are among the oldest materials formed within the solar system. Picked up on day of the fall, this is one of largest stones in private hands, and the largest to ever be offered at Christie’s. It is truly a piece worthy of any museum or collection in the world.

Christie's would like to thank Dr. Alan E. Rubin at the Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles for his assistance in preparing this catalogue.
190 mm x 160 mm x 100 mm (71/2 x 61/4 x 4in.)
4.8kg.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
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23.03.2022 – 06.04.2022
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