1906] The Chambord Meteorite. 51 



THE CHAMBORD METEORITE.* 



Some time during the season of 1904, a mass of iron was 

 picked up in a field about two miles from the village of Chambord, 

 (latitude 48 35' N. ; longitude 73 8' W.) county of Lake St. John, 

 province of Quebec. It was secured by Mr. J. Obalski, Superin- 

 tendent of Mines, Quebec, and by him kindly loaned to the 

 Geological Survey Department for purposes of examination. It is 

 an irregularly shaped block having a length of 18.9 cm., a thick- 

 ness of about 8.9 cm., and a width varying from 10. 1 cm. to 15.5 

 cm., and a weight of about 6.6 kilogrammes. The surface of the 

 specimen has unfortunately to a considerable extent been marred 

 by chisel and hammer marks made in attempts to cut up the iron. 

 The greater portion of the original crust has been scaled off by 

 prolonged weathering and its place taken by a thin coating of dark 

 brown rust ; that portion of the crust which is still remaining is 

 smooth with a dull enamel-like lustre and has brownish-black 

 colour ; the surface is possessed of the usual pittings found on 

 meteoric irons ; some of these are broad and shallow while others 

 again are small. A trough-like depression extends along one side 

 of the specimen, the bed of which is more or less jagged as if a 

 piece had been detached during the meteorite's flight through the 

 atmosphere. Over a considerable area of the specimen a natural 

 etching is visible, sometimes as coarse furrowings and at others 

 as minute ridges. Etching of a polished surface develops the 

 Widmannstatten figures in moderately coarse outline, the general 

 design indicating an octahedral structure ; this iron therefore 

 belongs to the " Madium Octahedrites " (Om) of Brezina's system 

 of classification. Schreibersite appears in considerable abundance 

 as very thin lamellae disposed between the kamacite plates : in the 

 trough-like depression previously referred to two small nodules of 

 of troilite are exposed in section ; they measure approximately 13 

 mm. in diameter and exhibit a series of fine parting lines running 

 in parallel position. This iron has not yet been subjected to 

 chemical analysis. 



R. A. A. JOHNSTON. 

 Ottawa, May 19th, 1906. 



*Published by permission of the Director of the Geological Survey. 



