358 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [NoV. , 



ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THE DEAL METEORITE. 

 BY F. J. KEELEY. 



In the Journal of the Academy of Natural Sciences of 

 Philadelphia, 1830, Volume VI, page 182, Mr. Robert Vaux and 

 Dr. Thos. M'Euen described the fall of a small stone meteorite at 

 Deal, Monmouth County, New Jersey, August 14, 1829, 11.30 P. M., 

 a portion of which they presented to the Academy. 



In 1851, Shepard, who had received part of this specimen from 

 the Curators of the Academy, published some further information, 

 including a determination of its specific gravity, which he reported 

 as 3.25 to 3.30. 



At the present time, but thirty grams of this meteorite is known 

 to be in existance, hence, sufficient material for adequate investi- 

 gation is not available without too greatly impairing the specimens, 

 but it seems desirable that at least some additional description be 

 recorded. 



The Academy's specimen, which weighs 20.8 grams, and there- 

 fore constitutes over two thirds of the known material, consists of 

 one end of a stone that may have been originally three times as 

 large. Its length is about 35 mm., width 25 mm. and thickness 15 

 mm. and on more than half of it, the original surface is preserved, 

 rounded and pitted by fusion, and covered with a dull black crust 

 averaging .3 mm. in thickness. 



The broken surface, of about 30 mm. by 25 mm., when examined 

 with the microscope, is extremely fine and uniformly grained and of 

 pale pearl gi-ay color, penetrated by a few narrow black veins which 

 are continuous with the crust and branch and anastomose. Scattered 

 through the mass are innumerable minute grains of metal and sul- 

 phide, the largest of the former not exceeding 1 mm. and few being 

 over .2 mm., while the grains of sulphide average even smaller with 

 no tendency to form larger nodules. There are also a few small 

 black particles and a slight rusty tint is visible over much of the 

 surface but no exudations of molysite to indicate the presence of 

 lawrencite. A careful study of the entire broken surface under a 

 binocular compound microscope with magnification of about 40, 

 failed to reveal a single chondrule or larger crystaUine mass, but near 

 one end there is a spherical depression about 1.5 mm. in diameter 

 which looks as if it might have been the matrix of a chondrule. 



