HERETOFORE UNDESCRIBED METEORIC IRONS FROM 

 [1] BOLIVIA, SOUTH AMERICA, [2] WESTERN ARKAN- 

 SAS, AND [3] SENECA TOWNSHIP, MICHIGAN 



By George P. Merrili 

 Head Curator of Geology, Vnitcd States National Museum 



The recently received F, A. Canfield bequest of minerals contained 

 representatives of seven falls of meteorites one of which (that of 

 Nanjemoy, Md.) was a stone, one a pallasite, and the remaining five 

 irons. Among these last were two with localities quite too indefinite 

 to make them of great value or consequence, but which should 

 nevertheless be recorded. These are as follows : 



[1] Bolivia (Gat. No. 793). — This is a complete individual in form 

 of a flattened oval (see pi. 1) without deep pittings or unusual surface 

 markings, quite fresh, and weighing 21.25 kilograms (46.75 lbs.). 

 The only information regarding it is given in Canfieid's own hand 

 in a leaf from an old letter of which the first page and date are miss- 

 ing. It reads: "A friend has given me a mass of meteoric iron 

 which weighs 47 pounds and has never been cut. It was found 30 

 3^ears ago and purchased by a priest, who thinking it was silver paid 

 $600 in gold for it." 



The iron is soft and malleable, and etches but poorly (pi. 2, lower), 

 showing irregular somewhat wavy kamacite bands with little or no 

 plessite and taenite in minute, almost microscopic films ; schreibersite 

 is present in scattered granules. The kamacite bands show under a 

 low power a very fine granular structure. A representative piece 

 submitted to E. V. Shannon was reported on as follows : 



The piece of the iron which, groimd free from scale, w^as used for 

 the analysis weighed 22.1325 grams. Except insoluble matter, copper, 

 and platinum, the determinations were made upon aliquot portions of 

 this solution equivalent to 1.1066 grams each. Copper and platinum 

 were determined in the residuum of the solution equivalent to 15.4929 

 grams of the iron. The results of the analysis are as follows: 



No. 2700.— Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 72, Art. 4 



55218—27 j_ 



