Professor Jacob Berzelius on Meteoric Stones. 



From these analyses I think I have ascertained that meteoric 

 stones are minerals ; and since it would be an absurdity to sup- 

 pose that minerals could be formed in the atmosphere from their 

 component parts, they cannot be atmospheric products; the 

 less so, that many of them exhibit fissures which are filled 

 with a mineral of another colour, and probably of different com- 

 position ; and it would be a complete absurdity to assume that 

 such were formed in the few instants which the attraction of the 

 earth permits heavy bodies to remain in the atmosphere. They 

 must come from another quarter. They are not ejected masses 

 from volcanoes on the earth's surface, for they fall every where, 

 not merely or chiefly at a greater or less distance from volca- 

 noes ; their aspect is different from terrestrial minerals, and differ- 

 ent from every thing thrown out by volcanoes. The unoxidised 

 ductile iron which they contain, proves that no water, and pro- 

 bably no air, exists in their place of origin. They must there- 

 fore be derived from another heavenly body having volcanoes. 

 That nearest us is the moon, and it has, in comparison with the 

 earth, gigantic volcanoes. It has no atmosphere to retard the 

 ejected masses of volcanoes. It seems also to present no collec- 

 tions of water, and, in short, among the probable sources of 

 aerolites, the moon seems the most likely. But the attaining an 

 idea of the ponderable elements of which a heavenly body is 

 composed, though it be only one which is so near us as the moon, 

 imparts an interest to such an investigation which it would not 

 otherwise possess. 



The general results of my investigations are the following : 

 There are two kinds of meteoric stones that fall on the earth. 

 Those belonging to the same species have the same composition, 

 and seem to be derived from the same mountain. One species 

 is rare. Hitherto only three aerolites belonging to it have been 

 remarked, viz. that which fell near Stannern, in Moravia, and 

 those which fell at Jonzac and Juvenas, in France. Their dis- 

 tinguishing characters are, that they contain no metallic iron, 

 that the minerals of which they consist are more decidedly crys- 

 talline, and that magnesia does not, in them, form a prevailing 

 component part. Of these I possessed no specimen for exami- 

 nation. The second species includes the very numerous other 

 meteoric stones which have hitherto been investigated. They 

 are frequently so like one another in colour and aspect, that it 



