﻿Watso?i 
  — 
  Meteoric 
  Iron 
  from 
  Paulding 
  County. 
  165 
  

  

  Art. 
  XIX. 
  — 
  A 
  Meteoric 
  Iron 
  from 
  Paulding 
  County, 
  

   Georgia 
  ; 
  by 
  Thomas 
  L. 
  Watson. 
  

  

  The 
  iron 
  described 
  below 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  about 
  

   twelve 
  years 
  ago 
  from 
  a 
  party 
  who 
  reported 
  having 
  found 
  it 
  

   in 
  the 
  northern 
  part 
  of 
  Paulding 
  County, 
  northwest 
  Georgia. 
  

   Neither 
  the 
  date 
  of 
  find 
  nor 
  the 
  exact 
  locality 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  

   iron 
  came 
  can 
  be 
  given, 
  nor 
  is 
  anything 
  known 
  regarding 
  its 
  

   fall. 
  Excepting 
  the 
  extreme 
  northwest 
  corner, 
  all 
  of 
  Paulding 
  

   County 
  lies 
  within 
  the 
  crystalline 
  province 
  of 
  the 
  state, 
  but 
  

   nothing 
  is 
  known 
  of 
  the 
  natural 
  conditions 
  surrounding 
  the 
  

   find 
  of 
  the 
  iron. 
  

  

  When 
  secured 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  the 
  mass 
  was 
  deeply 
  coated 
  

   with 
  a 
  thickness 
  of 
  oxidation 
  products, 
  small 
  fragments 
  

   of 
  which 
  could 
  be 
  readily 
  broken 
  from 
  the 
  surface. 
  Since 
  

   being 
  in 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  writer, 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  kept 
  carefully 
  

   wrapped 
  in 
  several 
  thicknesses 
  of 
  paper 
  in 
  a 
  tightly 
  closed 
  box 
  

   at 
  room 
  temperature. 
  During 
  this 
  time 
  the 
  mass 
  has 
  under- 
  

   gone 
  rapid 
  oxidation 
  and 
  much 
  of 
  it 
  has 
  crumbled 
  into 
  small 
  

   and 
  large 
  fragments 
  of 
  yellow 
  to 
  reddish 
  brown 
  color, 
  resem- 
  

   bling 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  ordinary 
  brown 
  hematite 
  (limonite). 
  Natur- 
  

   ally, 
  the 
  fragments 
  are 
  of 
  irregular 
  shapes 
  and 
  some 
  exhibit 
  a 
  

   rudely 
  shaly 
  or 
  platy 
  structure. 
  

  

  The 
  total 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  mass 
  (1912), 
  including 
  the 
  fresh 
  

   iron 
  and 
  the 
  detached 
  oxidized 
  small 
  and 
  large 
  fragments 
  that 
  

   had 
  crumbled 
  from 
  it, 
  was 
  725*1 
  grams. 
  As 
  separately 
  

   weighed 
  the 
  two 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  iron 
  (unoxiclized 
  or 
  fresh, 
  and 
  

   oxidized 
  or 
  altered) 
  gave 
  the 
  following 
  results 
  : 
  

  

  Grams 
  

  

  Fresh 
  iron___ 
  _. 
  134-3 
  

  

  Oxidized 
  iron, 
  including 
  fragments 
  of 
  vari- 
  

   able 
  size 
  and 
  weight 
  ._ 
  590*8 
  

  

  Total 
  725-1 
  

  

  Five 
  of 
  the 
  largest 
  fragments 
  of 
  the 
  oxidized 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   iron 
  gave, 
  when 
  separately 
  weighed, 
  110*4:, 
  64*0, 
  52*8, 
  20*0, 
  

   and 
  13-8 
  grams, 
  respectively 
  — 
  a 
  total 
  weight 
  of 
  261*0 
  grams. 
  

   The 
  remainder 
  of 
  the 
  oxidized 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  iron 
  (329*8 
  

   grams) 
  was 
  composed 
  of 
  smaller 
  fragments 
  of 
  irregular 
  outline 
  

   and 
  a 
  goodly 
  amount 
  of 
  very 
  fine 
  material 
  of 
  almost 
  dustlike 
  

   particles. 
  A 
  fractured 
  surface 
  shows 
  the 
  mass 
  to 
  be 
  somewhat 
  

   porous 
  and 
  the 
  cavities 
  lined 
  with 
  deep 
  red 
  oxide 
  of 
  iron 
  

   (hematite). 
  Other 
  pieces 
  show 
  much 
  admixed 
  deep 
  red 
  oxide 
  

   with 
  blue-black 
  surfaces. 
  Practically 
  all 
  of 
  the 
  oxidized 
  

   material 
  reacted 
  strongly 
  magnetic, 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  particles 
  

   showing 
  polarity. 
  

  

  