Seymchan Meteorite | Complete Slice Of A Seymchan Meteorite — Extraterrestrial Gemstones In Natural Metallic Matrix

Macovich Collection, New York City

Similar to lots 93 and 98, pallasites represent less than 0.2% of all meteorites and are widely considered the most beautiful extraterrestrial substance known. Like the vast majority of pallasitic meteorites, Seymchan originated from the core-mantle boundary of an asteroid that broke apart during early solar system history. Following pinball-like impacts, a large mass was serendipitously bumped into an Earth-crossing orbit.

The crystals seen here are the result of small chunks of the asteroid’s stony mantle becoming suspended in the molten metal of its iron-nickel core. Cut and polished, the lustrous metallic matrix features silicate crystals of gleaming olivine and peridot (gem-quality olivine) ranging in hues from emerald to amber. The prominent metallic latticework dominating the middle of the slice is referred to as a Widmanstätten pattern. It is the result of a slow cooling that provided sufficient time — millions of years — for the two metallic alloys to orient into their crystalline habit. As the only place where this can happen is in the core of a differentiated asteroid (or theoretically Earth's core) and vacuum of space, the appearance of this pattern is diagnostic in the identification of a meteorite. As the crystals are not homogenously scattered throughout the metallic matrix, this is referred to as a transitional pallasite — a much less common and more idiosyncratic presentation. Rimmed by the meteorite’s natural external surface, olivine crystal aggregates are separated by a robust crystalline lattice in this splendid example.

NOTE: On February 23, 2021, a similar slice from the same mass sold for $137,500