1 1 o THE A ME RICA N MUSE UM JO URN A L 



17 inches wide, and 10.5 inches deep, situated toward the east 

 end of the meteorite in its present position. The form and 

 arrangement of these basins indicate for them, according to 

 Ward, an origin due to friction against the atmosphere and 

 consequent melting and flowage of the surface of the iron. 

 Willamette contains many nodules and cylindrical masses of 

 troilite (a sulphide of iron peculiar to meteorites), which is more 

 easily fusible than the surrounding nickel-iron. These areas 

 therefore may have formed the starting points for vortex action 

 and consequent excavation by the condensed atmosphere during 

 the flight of the meteorite through the air to the earth; but the 

 original shape of the hollows must have been altered by subse- 

 quent oxidation. 



It seems too much, however, to assert that all the depressions 

 on the front of the meteorite are due to friction against the 

 atmosphere. Those with basin-like lip and definite radial orien- 

 tation may well be due primarily to this cause, though enlarged 

 by subsequent terrestrial oxidation; but others with undercut 

 edges and without radial orientation with reference to the apex 

 of the cone are more probably the result of terrestrial oxidation, 

 like the great cavities of the rear of the mass. 



The channels which are observed near the edge of the meteor- 

 ite are oriented like the basins just described and jjrobably had 

 the same origin. One of the channels is 21 inches long, 10 inches 

 wide, and 7.5 inches deep. Perhaps they began around initial 

 elongated masses of troilite. Some of the channels, or furrows, 

 connect with the great hollows of the rear side of the meteorite, 

 piercing the mass. 



The deep, pot-like pits of the rear portion of Willamette are 

 the most striking superficial characteristic of the meteorite. 

 Some are nearly circular in outline, while others are very elongate 

 ellipses. The largest two are irregular ellipses about 42 inches 

 long, 18 inches wide, and 17 and 18 inches deep. These great 

 pits are compound, their bottoms showing that several small 

 cavities have coalesced to form the large ones. All the cavities 

 on this side of the meteorite increase in diameter below the 

 orifice, i. e., they are undercut. Some of the large cavities have 

 smaller holes of the same character in their bottoms which were 



