METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 243 



Mineralogical composition : 



Nickel-iron 99. 48 



Schreibersite 52 



100. 00 



The analysis by Mariner and Hoskins, contributed by Preston, gave such an entirely different result that it could 

 scarcely be the same meteoric iron that was analyzed. 



The meteorite is distributed, Ward possessing 830 grams, and the British Museum 637 

 grams. 



BIBLIOGRAPHY. 



1. 1900: Preston. Illinois Gulch meteorite. Amer. Journ. Sci., 4th ser., vol. 9, pp. 201-202. 



2. 1900: Ward. Catalogue of the Ward-Coonley collection, pp. 87-88. 



3. 1900: Cohen. Meteoreisen-Studien XI. Ann. K. K. Naturhist. Hofmus. Wien, vol. 15, pp. 351-353. 



4. 1905: Cohen. Meteoritenkunde, Heft III, pp. 83-85. 



Independence. See Kenton County. 

 Independence County. See Joe Wright. 



INDIAN VALLEY. 



Floyd County, Virginia. 



Here also Floyd County, Floyd Mountain, and Radford Furnace. 



Latitude 36° 55' N., longitude 80° 30' W. 



Iron. Brecciated hexahedrite (Hb) of Brezina. 



Found 1887; described 1891. 



Weight, 14.2 kgs. (31 lbs.). 



The first account of this meteorite was by Kunz and Weinschenk 1 in 1891, as follows: 



This iron meteorite was found in the spring of 1887 by Mr. John Showalter while plowing his tobacco patch in 

 Indian Valley, near the base of the south side of Floyd Mountain and 6 miles southeast of Radford Furnace, Virginia. 

 Search in the near vicinity for other pieces was without success. This meteorite weighs 31 pounds (14 kg.) and meas- 

 ures 28 by 20 by 13 cm. (11 by 8 by 5 inches). The surface of the iron is very much corroded and is entirely covered 

 with a rust crust; only a little of the original crust is visible. On the exterior are deep impressions from 2 to 4 cm. in 

 diameter. The iron has a crystalline structure and evident cubic cleavage on account of which pieces readily fall 



away. 



The following analysis was made by Mr. L. G. Eakins, in the laboratory of the United States Geological Survey: 



Fe Ni Co Cu P S Si 



93.59 5.56 0.53 trace 0.27 0.01 trace =99.96 



The same, calculated to 100, after removal of the schreibersite as NiFe 2 P, and of the troilite as FeS, gives: 



Fe NiCo 

 94.31 5.69 =100. 



The structure of this iron meteorite possesses a superior interest since it is a mean between the so-called breccias 

 (better designated as granular irons) and the cubic irons consisting of one crystal individual. On even an unetched 

 surface can be seen in considerable quantity rodlike crystals 1.5 by 5 mm. in dimension, which possess the proper- 

 ties of schreibersite — high luster, tin-white color, brittleness, and insolubility in solutions of copper salts. These 

 appear to be arranged on the section in straight, parallel bands, across whose direction the crystals stand parallel among 

 themselves. On an etched section one sees that these directions are parallel to the Neumann lines, which, on a large 

 portion of the section, are formed as completely as in Coahuila. Occasional spots, larger or smaller, however, pos- 

 sess a purely granular structure. The appearance is quite identical with that of the iron from Chatooga County and 

 not very different from that obtained by etching a piece of cast iron. In addition, there extend over the whole sec- 

 tion characteristic, not definitely oriented, and partly bent sheen bands such as we have never as yet noted on any 

 other iron meteorite. It may also be observed that toward the interior of the iron the granular, and toward the 

 exterior the unitary portions predominate. 



The structure of this iron perhaps allows some conclusions to be drawn regarding the origin of the cubic structure 

 of iron meteorites. It seems to us that the granular portion shows the original structure from which by metamorphism 

 the other has been formed. The result of the analysis shows an unusually low percentage of Ni+Co, and one below 

 the normal average for cubic irons. This would seem to indicate that the granular portions contained less nickel than 

 the crystallized. The former then did not possess the capability of crystallization which nickel-iron composed of 

 kamacite, ta?nite, etc., possesses. Sufficient material is not at hand to settle this question, but in every respect the iron 

 of Floyd Mountain seems to be one of the most interesting which has appeared in recent years. 



