Muonionalusta Meteorite | Muonionalusta Meteorite Cube — Crystalline Structure Of An Iron Meteorite Dramatized In Three Dimensions

Muonionalusta meteorites are located near the source of the Muonio River above the Arctic Circle in northern Sweden. While numerous recoveries have been made by intrepid meteorite hunters in recent years, it was in 1906 that the first Muonionalusta meteorite was discovered by children. While kicking rocks, one of the children struck a heavy object that was brought to the village where they lived — which was later verified to be a meteorite. Muonionalusta meteorites are typically prosaically shaped as a result of their 1,000,000 year residency in Earth’s northern ice box. Churned by advancing and retreating glaciers, Muonionalusta meteorites were smoothed by what was, in effect, Earth’s largest rock tumbler. As is evidenced, this did not have an effect on the breathtaking interior matrix of Muonionalusta meteorites. Covering the entire surface of this perfect square is the striking three-dimensional display of Muonionalusta’s crystalline structure. An extended cooling curve of millions of years is required for the two major iron-nickel alloys of iron meteorites — kamacite and taenite — to crystallize, and the resplendent pattern seen here is diagnostic in the identification of iron meteorites.