A RECENTLY-FOUND IRON METEORITE FROM COOKE- 

 VILLE. PUTNAM COITNTY, TENNESSEE. 



By George P. Merrill, 



Head Curator, Deparfvunt of Geology, United Stales National Museum. 



The iron described below mis first brought to my attention by 

 Dr. T. Poole Ma3mard of Atlanta, Georgia, who stated that it had 

 been found some three years ago. Nothing is kno^vn regarding its 

 fall, but it is obviously very old. 



As received, the iron w^as in the form of a roughly polygonal mass, 

 so badly oxidized that its original form was greatly obscured (pi. 28, 

 fig. 2).' The weight, before cutting, was 2,132 grams. A cut sur- 

 face shows an unusual feature in its very regular octahedral coarse 

 crystallization (pi. 28, fig. 1). Practically the enth-e mass is made 

 of broad kamacite bands 2 to 6 mm., in width. Between these He, 

 quite regular and parallel, very thin plates of taenite. Between the 

 broad bands and the taenite is always a thin zone of oxidized mate- 

 rial, which may be due, in part, to lawrencite, but probably repre- 

 sents a line of structural weakness along wliich the oxidation would 

 naturally progress most rapidly. Nowhere are there plessite areas. 

 In a single instance a sulphide (troilite?) nodule some 10 mm. in 

 diameter appears.* The kamacite bands are pecuharly pitted by 

 rust spots, which suggest a somewhat spongy condition of the original 

 metal. 



1 Since the above was written the iron has been cut into several slices, one of which shows along the 

 margin an elongated area of what at first sight was supposed to be troilite, but which being magnetic 

 was tested and found to consist mainly of the nonmagnetic sulphide with the usual admixture of schrei- 

 bersite along the border. To this last was due the apparent magnetic character of the entire mass, 

 which was some 50 mm. in length by 10 mm. in breadih. 



PROCEEDINGS U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM, VOL. 5I-N0. 2153. 



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