METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 279 



Phillips County, and 3 miles south of the Kansas-Nebraska State line. It is from the neighboring town of Long Island 

 that the meteorite takes its name. With regard to the time of the fall no knowledge has yet been obtained. The 

 stone was noticed by early comers to the region and was generally reputed to be a meteorite, so that visitors had 

 in many cases taken away pieces as curiosities. That the mass had lain a number of years in place is proved by the 

 coating of carbonate of lime, in some places 2 or 3 mm. in thickness, which incrusts many of the pieces. Further 

 evidence of the long exposure of the stone is given by the weathered character and rusty brown color of the surface of 

 exposed fragments of the stone in contrast to the dark green color of their interior. The meteorite as collected by 

 Professor Willard was shortly afterwards purchased by Mr. George F. Kunz, of New York City, and after remaining in 

 his possession for about a year was secured for the Field Museum. 



The entire weight of the meteorite as received at the museum and made up of 4 large and 2,930 small fragments, 

 was 1,184 pounds (537 kg.). This was supposed at the time to be the entire weight of the mass, but a year or two later 

 Mr. Kunz obtained about GO pounds (27 kg.) more, which is for the most part still in his possession. This additional 

 material was chiefly fragments obtained from people in the region who had carried off portions of the stone for curi- 

 osities. A weight of at least 1,244 pounds (564 kg.) can therefore be positively assigned the stone, and there is little 

 doubt that it originally weighed somewhat more than this, since some pieces were probably carried off that will never 

 be recovered. That the fragments all belonged to a single mass the manner of their occurrence in place leaves no 

 doubt. Moreover, their edges show no rounding or fusing, as would have been the case had any of them made an inde- 

 pendent passage through any considerable part of the earth's atmosphere. The stone is therefore much the largest 

 single-stone meteorite known to exist, its nearest competitors being the Bjurbole meteorite, which weighs 748 pounds 

 (340 kg.), and one of the stones of the Knyahinya fall, which weighs 649 pounds (295 kg.). 



As soon as the installation of the stone was undertaken at the museum, it was at once seen that the four large 

 pieces fitted together. Doubtless others of the fragments could be added to these, but as an effort to do this proved 

 on trial to be likely to consume considerable time without giving any important results, the attempt was abandoned. 

 There would be more hope of success if the museum possessed the entire mass of the stone, but as it is, many of the 

 fragments would be missing at best. The four large pieces weigh together 669 pounds (303 kg.), or more than half the 

 weight of the stone. They hence probably give its essential form. Their weights are 269, 239, 89.5, and 71.5 pounds 

 (122, 108, 46, and 32 kg.), respectively. The largest of the remaining fragments at the museum weighs 22.25 pounds 

 (10 kg.), which is a weight much below that of the smallest of the four large ones. Mr. Kunz informs me that one of 

 the fragments in his possession weighs about 35 pounds (15.8 kg.). The smaller fragments range from the weight above 

 mentioned to those not over a gram in weight. Some have the true meteorite crust on one surface, showing that they 

 are from the superficial portion of the stone, while the rough, irregular surfaces of the remaining fragments show that 

 they were wholly within the interior. * * * A considerable portion of the restored mass has an almost wholly 

 natural surface; over this portion, therefore, the actual form of the stone is preserved. The form of the stone as at 

 present restored is, as shown by a plate, roughly that of a low cone. The greatest diameter of the base of the cone is 

 34 inches (86 cm.) and the altitude from base to apex 20 inches (51 cm.). The conical form, as is well known, is the 

 typical one to which meteorites are reduced in their passage through the atmosphere, from the fact that the portion of 

 the mass in front, receiving the brunt of the friction and heat, is worn down rapidly to an apex from which the other 

 portions slope away. That this is the position which the Long Island stone took in falling is further indicated by the 

 smooth, unpitted character of the base of the cone (Rilchseke) as compared with the pitted surface of the conical por- 

 tion, and further by the fact that the series of pittings (piezoglyptm) on the surf ace. extend in radial directions from the 

 apex of the cone. It will be noted, in a plate, that the long axes of the pits run in directions nearly parallel to lines 

 drawn from the apex to the base of the cone. These, then, were the directions of the air currents. The planes along 

 which the four large fragments were separated and along which they have now been joined together are not courses of 

 ordinary irregular fracture, but are definite divisive planes. There are three of these planes, two being continuous 

 each in its own direction while the third may be described as made up of two planes meeting at a very broad angle 

 (160°). The planes run in three directions nearly at right angles to each other. They meet, but only at one point 

 do they pass through one another. If one will conceive of an apple cut in halves by a plane starting a little to one side 

 of the bloom, one of these halves then cut through equatorially in a direction at right angles to the first plane by two 

 planes starting a little above the equator, but meeting at it, then the quarter nearest the bloom cut through by a plane 

 at right angles to the equatorial plane in a direction running from the bloom to the stem and passing into the other- 

 wise uncut half for quite a distance, an idea will be gained of the course of the division planes of this meteorite. 



The area of each plane is approximately as follows: Plane A=200 sq. in. (13 sq. dm.); plane B=196 sq. in. (12 

 sq. dm.); and plane C=113 sq. in. (7.1 sq. dm.). 



The position of these planes makes it unlikely that they were developed by the blow of the meteorite in striking 

 the earth, for one at least runs nearly at right angles to the probable direction of motion of the meteorite. Further, as 

 stated more in detail below, the striae of the slickensided surfaces run in different directions. 



Plane A runs quite nearly in the direction of probable motion and it is interesting to note that near each end of 

 the meteorite irregular cracks appear which are approximately parallel to this plane. Their position suggests that 

 they may have been produced by the tendency of the base of the meteorite to continue its motion after the apex had 

 been stopped by striking the earth. Plane C, separating pieces 2 and 4, can be noted continuing on in piece 1 as a line 

 which extends nearly to the edge of that piece. This portion of the plane evidently was not sufficiently developed 

 as a division plane to produce disruption of the piece when the meteorite struck the earth. 



