On 18 January 2000 at
08:43 local time a huge fireball followed by loud detonations was widely observed over the Yukon Territory and northern British
Columbia. The fireball was also detected by satellites in Earth orbit allowing
an accurate orbit to be calculated. The meteor, estimated to have been
about 6 meters in diameter approached at ~16 kilometers per second and exploded at an altitude of 25 km with an energy
equivalent to 5 kilotons of TNT. An individual, Jim Brook, recovered several dozen meteorites totaling ~1 kg on the ice of Taku Arm, Tagish
Lake, on January 25 and 26. Scientists were immediately intrigued
by this unique carbonaceous chondrite. However, instead of mounting an
immediate collection campaign the location was kept secret and institutional
collection was delayed for months until late April. As a result about 500 additional
specimens were located on the ice of Tagish Lake, but only about 200 were retrieved as many had melted down into the ice making
them fall apart and their collection time consuming. The total mass collected was between 5 and 10
kg most of which is in permanent institutional storage. Very little of
this material is available and what is available is in very small fragments.
Based on mineralogy, isotopic compositions, and bulk chemical
compositions, Tagish Lake appears to be intermediate between CM and CI chondrites.
It has significantly less amino acids than expected and it may be a very primitive
carbonaceous chondrite, class C2 ungr. Check out David Weir's
excellent page on Tagish
lake.
It is
hard to take good photos of tiny black objects. The pieces look much nicer in
person. They are all in membrane boxes and the light flares you see in the
photos are from the membranes.
 |
$SOLD |
| Weight 80.9 milligrams.
Pic2
|
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$SOLD |
| Weight 73.2
milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$68.75 |
| Weight 68.9
milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$62.00 |
| Weight 62.0 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$55.00 |
| Weight 55.4 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$53.75 |
| Weight 53.8 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$39.75 |
| Weight 39.8 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$SOLD
|
|
Weight 33.4 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$27.00
|
|
Weight 27.1 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$25.00
|
|
Weight 25.0 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$19.75
|
|
Weight 19.9 milligrams.
|
 |
$SOLD
|
|
Weight 15.3 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$14.25
|
|
Weight 14.3 milligrams.
|
 |
$11.75
|
|
Weight 11.8 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$10.00
|
|
Weight 9.6 milligrams.
Pic2
|
 |
$10.00
|
|
Weight 4.5 milligrams.
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