Merrill — Composition and structure of Meteorite^ etc. 149 



Art. XYII. — On the Composition and structure of the Ham- 

 blen County, Tennessee, Meteorite ; by Georg-e P. Merrill. 



The meteorite described below was found in September, 

 1887, on a ridge about six miles W.S.W. from Morristown, 

 Hamblen County, Tennessee, its meteoric nature being first 

 recognized by Prof. J. M. Safford. Several fragments were 

 discovered, the two larger weighing respectively 11 and 13 

 pounds, the aggregate weight of all about 36 pounds. Macro- 

 scopically the stone is dark gray, stained by oxidation of the 

 iron, and sufficiently coarsely crystalline to allow a ready 

 determination of the metallic iron and phenocrysts of pyrox- 

 ene by the unaided eye. In composition and structure it 

 varies greatly, at times the metallic portion prevailing in 

 spongy masses enclosing the silicates, and again the sil- 

 icates prevailing to the almost entire exclusion of the metal, 

 or enclosing it only in the form of disseminated globules. 

 According to the prevailing system, it will therefore have to be 

 classed as a mesosiderite. Chemical analyses of the metallic 

 and silicate portions, as made in the laboratories of the U. S. 

 Geological Survey, are given below :* 



Nickeliferous Iron. 



Fe _._ ._. 90-92 



Ni 7-71 



CO -80 



Cu _ _ trace 



P .._ -19 



S -04 



99-66 



Soluble in HCl. 



Stony Portions. 



Insoluble in HCl. 



Analysis, 



SiO, 16-79 



Al^Og 8-33 



CrA 



FeO 4-88 



NiO -39 



MnO 



CaO 5-19 



MgO 1-34 



KO 



Na^O 



PA --- -46 



S -25 



Calculated 

 to 100 

 per cent. 



45-61 



22-62 



11-73 

 1-06 



14-09 

 3-64 



1-25 



Molecular 

 ratios. 



-760 

 •222 



•163 

 •014 



-252 

 •091 



-009 



Calculated Mole- 



Analysis. 

 31-47 



9-25 

 -82 



6-55 



•47 



2-24 



11-16 



•02 



-12 



to 100 

 per cent. 



50-67 



14-89 



1-32 



10-55 



•76 



3-61 



17-98 



•03 



•19 



cular 

 ratios. 



-844 

 •146 

 -009 

 •147 



•010 

 •004 

 •449 



•003 



37^63 100-00 62-10 100-00 



Bulletin 113, U. S. Geological Survey, 1893, p. 61. 



