﻿A 
  NEWLY 
  FOUND 
  METEORITE 
  FROM 
  NEAR 
  CULLISON, 
  

   PRATT 
  COUNTY, 
  IvANSAS.^ 
  

  

  By 
  George 
  P. 
  Merrill, 
  

  

  Head 
  Curator 
  of 
  Geology, 
  United 
  States 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  The 
  stone 
  described 
  below 
  was 
  found 
  by 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  J. 
  Oshel, 
  who 
  

   ^v^ites 
  that 
  "it 
  struck 
  the 
  earth 
  December 
  22, 
  1902, 
  on 
  the 
  northeast 
  

   corner 
  of 
  section 
  25, 
  township 
  28, 
  range 
  15, 
  in 
  Pratt 
  County." 
  As 
  

   it 
  was 
  not 
  found 
  until 
  1911 
  we 
  are 
  confronted 
  with 
  the 
  usual 
  doubt 
  

   as 
  to 
  whether 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  actually 
  the 
  one 
  seen 
  to 
  fall 
  on 
  the 
  date 
  

   given. 
  The 
  oxidized 
  condition 
  of 
  its 
  crust 
  leaves 
  no 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  

   having 
  lain 
  for 
  a 
  considerable 
  time 
  in 
  the 
  ground, 
  but 
  for 
  how 
  long 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  means 
  of 
  estimating. 
  Excepting 
  for 
  the 
  natural 
  feeling 
  of 
  

   caution 
  that 
  exists 
  in 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  every 
  man 
  experienced 
  in 
  such 
  

   matters, 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  apparent 
  reason 
  for 
  not 
  accepting 
  the 
  date 
  given. 
  

  

  The 
  general 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  shown 
  in 
  figures 
  1 
  and 
  2 
  of 
  

   plate 
  54. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  complete 
  individual, 
  a 
  chip 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  gi-ams 
  

   weight 
  only 
  having 
  been 
  broken 
  from 
  one 
  edge. 
  There 
  exists 
  no 
  

   large, 
  recently 
  broken 
  surface 
  to 
  suggest 
  that 
  it 
  became 
  broken 
  after 
  

   reaching 
  our 
  atmosphere, 
  or 
  that 
  the 
  one 
  stone 
  may 
  not 
  constitute 
  

   the 
  entire 
  fall. 
  

  

  The 
  crust, 
  which 
  extends 
  practically 
  over 
  the 
  entire 
  surface, 
  is 
  

   very 
  thin 
  and 
  has 
  suffered 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  through 
  oxidation 
  that 
  

   nothing 
  of 
  value 
  can 
  be 
  learned 
  from 
  its 
  study. 
  Except 
  for 
  an 
  

   occasional 
  slightly 
  protruding 
  metallic 
  point 
  where 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   rubbed, 
  and 
  for 
  the 
  pittings, 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  so 
  like 
  

   that 
  of 
  a 
  weathered 
  bowlder 
  of 
  a 
  dense, 
  fine-grained 
  trappean 
  rock 
  

   that 
  for 
  some 
  time 
  there 
  existed 
  a 
  doubt 
  as 
  to 
  its 
  true 
  nature, 
  a 
  doubt 
  

   which 
  was, 
  however, 
  immediately 
  dispelled 
  on 
  viewing 
  a 
  thin 
  section 
  

   through 
  the 
  microscope. 
  On 
  a 
  broken 
  surface 
  the 
  stone 
  is 
  nearly 
  

   black 
  and 
  without 
  structural 
  features 
  or 
  metallic 
  points 
  recognizable 
  

   to 
  the 
  unaided 
  eye. 
  Characteristic 
  pittings 
  are 
  present, 
  particularly 
  

   on 
  the 
  broad 
  end 
  sho%vn 
  at 
  the 
  lower 
  right 
  in 
  the 
  figures 
  of 
  plate 
  54. 
  

   Both 
  of 
  the 
  views 
  on 
  this 
  plate, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  stated, 
  are 
  somewhat 
  

   diagonal 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  bring 
  into 
  view 
  as 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  surface 
  as 
  possi- 
  

   ble, 
  and 
  hence 
  fail 
  to 
  show 
  the 
  full 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  stone. 
  The 
  maximum 
  

  

  1 
  Catalogue 
  No. 
  430, 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum. 
  

  

  Proceedings 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum, 
  Vol. 
  44— 
  No. 
  1952. 
  

  

  325 
  

  

  