Surface Markings of the Henbury Meteorites

Abstract

THE preservation of the fine series of material, now in the meteorite collection of the British Museum, from the meteorite craters recently discovered near Henbury in Central Australia, is entirely due to the energy and enthusiasm of Mr. R. Bedford. This material, 1,000 lb. in weight, was collected by him, and he has given much thought and study to the matter on the spot. The numerous individual masses of meteoric iron show a considerable variety of surface forms and markings which are certainly puzzling. Some of them he admits are due to subærial erosion and some to subterranean weathering. But others he believes are the original surfaces; that is, those resulting from the friction and burning of the meteorites during their brief flight through the earth's atmosphere. This I concluded could not be the case for the following reasons: