SEYMCHAN METEORITE — MASSIVE COMPLETE SLICE WITH EXTRATERRESTRIAL GEMSTONES - photo 1

SEYMCHAN METEORITE — MASSIVE COMPLETE SLICE WITH EXTRATERRESTRIAL GEMSTONES

Lot 41
28.03.2023 11:00UTC -05:00
Classic
Sold
$ 16 380
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUSA, New York
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 927032
Lot 41 | SEYMCHAN METEORITE — MASSIVE COMPLETE SLICE WITH EXTRATERRESTRIAL GEMSTONES
Estimate value
$ 12 000 – 18 000
Similar to lots 7, 34 and 41. Exceedingly rare, pallasites are the most beautiful extraterrestrial material known. The crystals seen are the result of small chunks of the stony mantle of an asteroid having become suspended in the molten metal of its iron-nickel core. The prominent metal latticework seen is referred to as a Widmanstätten pattern. It is evidence of a cooling curve of millions of years for the two metallic alloys to orient into their crystalline structure. As such slow cooling only occurs deep within asteroids — and theoretically within the solid planets like Earth — this pattern is diagnostic in the identification of a meteorite.

It was in the 1960s that the first masses of Seymchan were found in a streambed in a remote part of Siberia which became infamous as the locality of Stalin’s gulags. Identified as meteorites, they were named Seymchan for a nearby town. Unlike most pallasites, the dispersion of olivine crystals in Seymchan is extremely heterogeneous. Some specimens are olivine rich, some olivine poor and some have no olivine whatsoever. Such transitional pallasites provide insight into the mingling of materials at the mantle/core boundary — and the specimen now offered provides a spectacular perspective of this process. A band of translucent crystals arc across the top of this specimen while the rest is metal. It’s as if the mantle/core boundary is itself realized in this large format complete slice.

Apart from the crystalline crown of olivine and peridot, dominating the cut and polished surface is a robust Widmanstätten pattern, accented by the presence of schreibersite. The specimen is circumscribed by the natural exterior rim of the meteorite. Originating at the interface of the molten iron core and stony mantle of an asteroid that shattered, this is a visually arresting large format transitional pallasite which originated within a differentiated asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. Modern cutting.

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.

432 x 321 x 2mm (17 x 12.66 x 0.1 in.) and 2061.7 grams (4.5 lbs)
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
20 Rockefeller Plaza
10020 New York
USA
Preview
28.03.2023
27.03.2023
Phone +1 212 636 2000
Fax +1 212 636 4930
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase
Shipping Postal service
Courier service
pickup by yourself
Payment methods Wire Transfer
Business hoursBusiness hours
Mo 09:30 – 17:00   
Tu 09:30 – 17:00   
We 09:30 – 17:00   
Th 09:30 – 17:00   
Fr 09:30 – 17:00   
Sa closed
Su closed

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.