Meteoric iron

Meteoreisen, n. meteoric iron, meteorisch, a. meteoric (Med.) meteoristic. Meteorolog, Meteorologe, m. meteorolo t. meteorologisch, a. meteorological. 

Hydrogen occurs in small quantities in Nature in the uncombined state. It is found in a state of condensation in many rocks and in some specimens of meteoric iron. It is present in the gaseous discharges from oil and gas wells and volcanoes, and is also a constituent to a very minute extent of the atmosphere... 

In Meteoric Iron.—An examination of certain meteoric irons, made by Sir WilUam Ramsay and Dr. Travers, showed that these contained occluded gas, and that this gas was hydrogen —... 

Observing that meteoric iron contains occluded hydrogen, it is interesting to note that the examination of steel shows that it also possesses this property of condensing gases. Steel of the following composition—... 

Nickel in Meteorites. Centuries before the discovery of nickel, primitive peoples shaped meteoric iron into implements and swords and appreciated the superiority of this Heaven-sent metal (125). In 1777 J. K. F. Meyer of Stettin noticed that when he added sulfuric acid to some native iron which P. S. Pallas had found in Siberia, he obtained a green solution which became blue when it was treated with ammonium hydroxide. In 1799 Joseph-Louis Proust detected nickel in meteoric iron from Peru (126). This grayish white native iron had been observed by Rubin de Celis. Since it did not rust, it was sometimes mistaken for native silver. 

In 1805 James Soweiby received a piece of meteoric iron which Captain Barrow had found about two hundred miles within die Cape of Good Hope. When Smithson Tennant analyzed it, he found about 10 per cent of nickel in it. Mr. Sowerby had the metal hammered into a sword, which he presented to tire Emperor of Russia (128). 

III. The so-called Magdeburg meteoric iron, containing slag mixed with bronze, yellow copper cinder, probably the pig-iron... 

It is, that although they have fallen in very different In meteoric iron the proportion of nickel varies ... 

Spencer, L. f. Meteoric iron and silica-glass from the meteoric craters of Henbury (Central Australia) and Wabar (Arabia). Min. Mag. XXIII, No. 142, 387-404 (1933). 

Iridium was first identified as a new metal by Tennant in 1804, who suggested its name in recognition of the different colours exhibited by its salts.2 Iridium has been detected in meteoric iron,3 and its presence in the photosphere of the sun has been demonstrated spectroscopically.4 The world s annual production5 of iridium in normal times probably does not exceed 5000 oz. 

Platinum has also been detected in meteoric iron.7... 

In all probability during his search for suitable stones early mai. occasionally stumbled across meteoric iron. Finding that it did not crack on being hammered,2 that it possessed great tenacity and... 

The impression shared by many writers, namely, that meteoric iron is usually brittle and unworkable in the cold, appears to be erroneous (Zimmer, J. Iron Steel Inst, 1916, II., 306). 

Interesting side-lights on the customs of prehistoric man are afforded by the behaviour of his modern representatives in uncivilised countries. Thus Ross in his Arctic explorations in 1818 came across certain Eskimos who carried knives consisting of blades of meteoric iron set into bone handles.1 The pieces of metal had been detached with great labour from the softest of three masses of metal of meteoric origin at Melville Bay, and had then been cold worked with stone hammers. 

It has been urged that meteoric iron is too scarce to have ever been used to any appreciable extent by prehistoric man. This is hardly the case, however, for some 246 tons of the metal are known to science,1 and in prehistoric times meteoric iron would be even more plentiful than now inasmuch as the accumulations derived from meteoric showers of the previous ages could be drawn upon. As the metal, owing to its nickel content, is usually highly resistant to corrosion, it would not decay so rapidly by exposure as the ordinary manufactured metal. 

Bar A, examined under the microscope, revealed a structure similar to that exhibited by meteoric iron, whilst Bar B resembled iron produced by direct reduction from ore and forged from a bloom. 

On the structure of meteoric iron see Fraenkal and Tammann, Zeitsch. anorg. Ghem., 1908, 6o, 416 Osmond and Cartaud, Cornet, rend., 1903,137, 1057. 

It will be observed that all of the meteorites contain, in addition to nickel, a small quantity of cobalt, whilst the carbon content is extremely small. Carbon is sometimes present in meteoric iron in the form of minute diamonds.2 The Rowton specimen is interesting as being the first sidente observed to fall in Great Britain, and may be seen in the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. The Perryville siderite is the first recorded instance of the presence of ruthenium in meteoric iron. In addition to traces of this element, traces of iridium, palladium, and platinum were detected. 

Baxter and Thorvaldson 2 extended the preceding investigation by making a number of analyses of ferrous bromide prepared from meteoric iron. The results were as follow —... 

Gold, however, was not the only metal immediately available. Meteoric iron was also found lying naked on the ground. Dull, hard and unworkable, it nevertheless had a gold-Uke ring to it, and despite its earthy appearance was believed to have fallen from the sky. This conferred on it an awesome, mysterious, celestial quality. Artefacts fashioned from meteoric iron had magical qualities, but before this metal could be elFectively worked mankind had first to become master of fire. Similar substances were encountered hidden, half-formed in their matrix of rock, as the goldstreams were pursued into the earth. Fire would yield them up. 

Occurrence, — Selenium must be considered a rare element, although it is found widely distributed in nature. The distinctive selenium minerals are rare, and they are usually selenides, of such metals as lead, mercury, copper, bismuth, and silver. The element is also found in the free state associated with sulfur and as a selenite. The most common occurrence of selenium is in ores in which the element has partially displaced sulfur. Generally the selenium is present in very small proportions, but on account of the fact that enormous quantities of sulfide ores are used, this represents a considerable amount of selenium. It occurs also in small amounts in meteoric iron, in volcanic lavas, and in certain deposits of coal. Traces of selenium have been detected in rain and snow. Even though present in mineral ores in mere traces, it is readily concentrated either in the flue dusts or in the anode mud of the electrolytic refineries. Considerable quantities are known to exist in Hawaii, Japan,... 

This was the case in the Western Hemisphere, as well as in the East. Prior to contact with Europeans, meteoric iron was used by cultures in the Americas, such as the Greenland Eskimos, Mayas, and Aztecs, who had not developed tool-making from iron ore (ibid.). 

Meteoric iron was known to primitive man and both worshipped and used by him during the stone age. Numerous meteorites have been found in different parts of the world they vary greatly both in size and in composition. The largest known is the Hoba West meteorite which lies where it was found at Grootfontein, S. W. Africa. It is a roughly rectangular mass, 3 X 3 X 1 cu. metres,... 

The supreme Arcanum or Arcanum arcanorum of Sufism is the celestial pole and the Most High is the God of the Polestar. " He sits at the North Pole of the Heavens, which is the highest celestial spot of the Cosmos. His floor is made of meteoric iron. " The floor is rectangular... 

Meteoric iron is just what the name sounds like it s iron that comes from meteors. For early civilizations, meteoric iron was one of the few available sources of relatively pure iron (that is, prior to when the extraction of iron from ore was discovered). Meteors containing meteoric iron are composed of mostly nickel-iron alloys. Iron meteorites often have a distinct appearance, and they are typically much easier to recognize than other types of meteorites. For this reason, they are discovered more often than other types of meteorites. Iron meteorites actually account for all of the largest meteorites that have been discovered. 

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