METEORIC DUSTS, N.S.W. 241 



METEORIC DUSTS, NEW SOUTH WALES. 

 By Prof. A. Liversidge, ll.d, f.r.s., University of Sydney. 



[Eead before the Royal Society of N. 8. Wales, September 3, 1902.'] 



Introductory. — The term meteoric dust is used because 

 it is commonly applied to the materials forming the subject 

 of this paper; it is not, however, intended to state that 

 the dusts are necessarily wholly of cosmic or extra terres- 

 trial origin. The specimens described and exhibited were 

 from Moruya, (fell on Dec. 15th, 1880); from Uralla, (fell 

 on Dec. 14th, 1882) ; from near Broken Hill, (fell 1896); 

 from Menindie (fell June 17th, 1899); and Pambula, (fell 

 Oct. 5th, 1899). Dust from the roof-beams and mud from a 

 covered cistern at the University and from the roof of the 

 Observatory, Sydney, were collected in 1882. 



All the dusts are of a reddish colour except those from 

 the University and Observatory, which are grey. The red 

 dusts are mainly siliceous and argillaceous, and look as if 

 they had come from dried up water-holes; they contain a 

 variety of organic and mineral matters such as might be 

 expected from such sources, and in addition magnetite 

 and metallic iron, containing cobalt and nickel. 



The University and Observatory dusts also yielded mag- 

 netite and metallic iron containing cobalt and nickel. 



Meteoric Dust, Moruya, N. S. Wales. — The specimen of 

 meteoric dust forming the subject of this note was forwarded 

 to me by Mr. H. O. Russell, Government Astronomer, who 

 informs me that it fell on December 15th, 1880 at Moruya, 

 a small town in New South Wales, 198 miles south of 

 Sydney and distant 5 miles from the sea. 



The specimen consists of a pale clay- or snuff-coloured 

 powder, of uniform tint and appearance ; for the most part 



P— Nov. 5, 1902. 



