G. P. Merrill— Meteoric Iron from Texas. 335 



Art. XXXI — Meteoric Iron from Odessa, Ector Co., 

 Texas;* by George P. Merrill. 



The fragment of an iron meteorite described below was 

 brought to the writer's attention by Dr. A. B. Bibbins 

 of Baltimore who states that it was found by a ranchman 

 at the west side of a "blow out" about nine miles south- 

 west of Odessa, a little east of Section 8, Block 43, Twnp. 

 3, S. Ector Co., Texas, and placed in his hands as a 

 possible sample of iron ore. As received the fragment 

 weighed 1,120 grains and was stated to have been cut 

 from a larger mass — size not given. Exteriorly it was 

 much weathered and oxidized and gave little indication 

 of the customary pittings. The accompanying figure of 

 a slice cut parallel with the greater dimensions is natural 

 size. As will be noted, the structure is octahedral and 

 of coarse crystallization (Og.). The etched surface is 

 dull and lusterless and abundantly sprinkled with small, 

 angular areas of schreibersite. 



As the light is reflected from the etched surface at 

 varying angles, the interior field gives the effect of having 

 been cut parallel with the broad kamacite plates, while 

 in the outer marginal portion they are cut more nearly 

 at right angles. (See fig. 1.) The suggestion is that of 

 an intergrowth of two portions of unlike orientation. 

 Tamite plates are thin and inconspicuous as are plessite 

 areas, the entire mass being composed mainly of the 

 broad kamacite plates and the included schreibersite. 



A slice of the iron freed from all crust and oxidation 

 products and containing no visible troilite was turned 

 over to Mr. E. V. Shannon of the Museum for analysis. 

 He reports as follows : 



"A portion of the iron weighing 13.3577 grams was 

 dissolved in aqua regia and the nitric acid expelled by 

 repeated evaporation with hydrochloric acid. The chlo- 

 ride solution was filtered on a Gooch filter, the residue 

 being tabulated below as carbon. It possibly includes 

 some other extraneous substances, as dust, etc. This resi- 

 due was ignited after weighing and was practically all 

 destroyed by the ignition. After ignition the asbestos 

 mat was fused with potassium pyrosulphate, leached with 



* Printed by permission of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



