LAMONT, KANSAS Mesosiderite

Mr. Haas of Lamont, Kansas, found the very rare Lamont Meteorite over fifty years ago. In 1996 he submitted a fragment to the American Meteorite Survey and it was identified as a mesosiderite. It is unusual in that it has a higher amount of olivine than most other meteorites of its class. Unfortunately, after cutting it rusts and most samples of it must be kept in airtight containers to prevent further rusting.

The 900 gram endpiece shown here is, however, exempt from this condition, and is from the only portion of the main mass that was rust free. Portions of this meteorite reside in private collections, the Smithsonian Institution, The Chicago Field Museum, and UCLA.

This 900 gram Lamont endpiece shows numerous metal flecks scattered throughout its brecciated stony matrix. Mesosiderites are composed of diverse mineral assemblages that indicate a violent cosmic history. This and other meteorites like it probably resided in asteroids that were repeatedly involved in collisions with other asteroids at the early stages of our Solar System's formation.

Opposite side of the 900 gram Lamont endpiece shows its rusty brown exterior. There is nothing on the outside of this meteorite that hints at the extraordinary structures that it contains.

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