PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. 64. 



Per cent. Per cent. 



Silica 42. 98 37. 775 



Ferric oxide 0. 16 0. 138 



Ferrous oxide 18.35 16.137 



Pliosphoric acid 0. 23 0. 22 



Alumina 3. 31 2. 90 



Manganous oxide 0. 36 0. 32 



Lime 3.03 2.66 



Magnesia 28. 52 25. 05 



Nickel oxide 0. 48 0. 42 



Cobalt oxide trace 



Sulphuric anhydride 1. 44 1. 26 



Soda 0.93 0.82 



Potash 0. 21 0. 18 



100.00 87.88 



Troilite 2. 42 



Metal 9. 69 



99.99 



Of the nine meteorites thus far recorded from Virginia, inckiding- 

 the Sharps stone, seven were iron and two stone meteorites. They 

 were distributed by provinces as follows: Four in the Mountain 

 province west of the Blue Ridge, two in the Floyd-Carroll-Grayson 

 counties plateau of the Blue Ridge, one in the Piedmont Plateau 

 province, and two in the Coastal Plain province. Both the Sharps 

 meteorite and one recorded as having fallen at Richmond, Hen- 

 rico County, Virginia, June 4, 1828, are crystalline spherulitic chon- 

 drites. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATES. 



Plate 1. 



, The Sharps, Virginia, Meteorite. 



Fig. 1. Composite of a sawn surface of the stone. Right half emphasizes the 

 metallic content in the tiny white dots, left half the stony (rock) 

 content. 

 2. The stone as it was received from Professor Davis. 



Plate 2. 



Microstructure of the Sharps, Virginia, Meteorite. 



Fig. 1. Black, groundmass of a mixture of metallic iron and small fragments- 

 of silicate minerals ; white, chondrules of enstatite and olivine. Two 

 large chondrules of the radiate enstatite type with saucer-shaped de- 

 pression and smooth outline sharply differentiated from groundmass 

 are shown in the right and left portions of the figure. 

 2. Shows the pronounced fragmental (tuffaceous) character of the stone. 

 Black, groundmass of a mixture of metallic iron and small frag- 

 ments of silicate minerals; white, chondrules of glass porphyritic 

 type and smaller angular fragments of olivine and enstatite, both 

 usually sharply differentiated from the black groundmass. Note the 

 rounded outline of some chondrules and the contrasted ragged, angu- 

 lar outline of others. 



