METEORITES OF NORTH AMERICA. 269 



Lime Creek, 1832. See Walker County. 

 Lime Creek. 1834. See Limestone Creek. 



LIMESTONE CREEK. 



Near Claiborne, Monroe County, Alabama. 



Here also Claiborne (in part), Lime Creek, Morgan County, and Walker County (in part). 

 Latitude 31 32^ N., longitude 87 30 7 W. 

 Iron. Ataxite, Cristobal group (DC) of Brezina. 

 Found 1834; described 1S38. 



Weight uncertain. Original mass described as "of irregular triangular shape 10 inches long by 

 5 or 6 inches in thickness." 



This meteorite has been much confused with that of Walker County and with a pseudo- 

 meteorite. Without doubt, however, it is a distinct meteorite with well-defined characters, 

 the most remarkable of which is its high content of nickel. The first description of the meteor- 

 ite was by Jackson 1 who stated that it came from Lime Creek, near Claiborne, Alabama. The 

 creek in the vicinity of Claiborne is, however, given in all atlases as Limestone Creek, not Lime 

 Creek. Shortly after, the meteorite of Walker County, Alabama, was discovered and dis- 

 tributed, and as neither the Lime Creek nor Walker County meteorites gave etching figures of 

 the usual octahedral type, one, as now appears, being an ataxite and the other a hexahedrite, 

 the two became much interchanged. With the true Walker County and Lime Creek became 

 also mixed a pseudo-meteorite, distributed, as Cohen 7 concludes, by Shepard. While, accord- 

 ing to present usage, the name Claiborne would be the appropriate one for the meteorite, it 

 seems best, in view of the fact that the name Claiborne has also been used for the Tazewell 

 meteorite to give it the true name of the creek, Limestone Creek. 



The description given by Jackson * states that the mass was found on the surface of the 

 earth and that it was of an irregular triangular shape, rounded at the corners. Its dimensions 

 are given as 10 inches long by 5 or 6 inches in thickness. No weight is given, but it is stated 

 that the mass was too heavy for one man to carry conveniently. A piece weighing 28 ounces 

 was broken off with a sledge hammer, and it was this piece which was sent to Jackson 1 and from 

 which his description was made. He states : 



This specimen was rounded on all sides excepting on that where it was fractured, which presents a rough, hackly 

 surface with projecting bright silvery streaks and deep greenish and brown eroded surfaces from which an exudation 

 of green liquid takes place on exposing the specimen to moist air. The rounded surface is coated with a thin layer of 

 the subchloride of iron which being removed the mass is found to consist of metallic matter resembling wrought iron 

 when the specimen is filed bright. On attempting to break off a fragment the mass was found to be extremely tough 

 and malleable, so as to require the aid of a file and cutting chisel. 



The specific gravities obtained on these separate fragments from different parts of the 

 mass were 5.750, 6.400, and 6.500. Two analyses were made by Jackson as follows: 



1 2 



Specific gravity 5. 75 6. 50 



Fe G5. 184 66. 560 



Ni 27. 708 24. 708 



Cr and Mn (estimated) 3.240 



S 4.000 



Cl.. 1.480 



92. 892 99. 988 



The high content of nickel of the meteorite was thus shown by Jackson hi his first analyses. 

 In 1845 the composition of the iron was studied by Hayes, 3 and his report was as follows: 



An oval mass weighing about 8 ounces completely covered by a thick brown coating of oxide of iron from atmos- 

 pheric exposure had a portion of its surface filed bright. This was then etched with dilute hydrochloric acid. After 

 washing the mass in pure, warm water it exhibited the appearance of inlaid work produced by the arrangement of 

 delicate, brilliant folia, or was dotted by minute crystalline portions of pyrites. The color of the general surface was 

 light gray. Under a lens the texture resembled that of ductile iron containing innumerable glittering points, of unequal 

 size. It could be polished, but under the file or with cutting instruments. It had the characters of cast iron and would 



