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From the “Heavens” Department ::
Tagish Lake Carbonaceous Chondrite Meteorite Acquired by University of Alberta
::UPDATE:: More Information on the Tagish Lake Carbonaceous Chondrite Meteorite
The University of Alberta has managed to acquire a hugely important meteorite to add to it’s already impressive meteorite collection. What makes the Tagish Lake carbonaceous chondrite so rare is its pristine condition. Jim Brook, a resort owner, with a scientific background, from Atlin, BC found the meteorite fragments a week after the fireball lit up the Northern Canadian winter sky, as he was driving his pick-up truck across the frozen lake.
When he discovered the celestial rock laying on the frozen surface of Tagish Lake he was careful not to touch it and made sure it was kept frozen, assuring this rare to begin with meteorite would be rarer still. Six years later this rarity of meteorites has earned Brook $750,000 on the meteorite market.
Carbonaceous chondrite meteorites are a rare class of stoney meteorites that are carbon-rich and don’t usually survive a trip through earth’s atmosphere. The Tagish Lake Meteorite is rarer still as it’s chemical composition is quite primitive compared to other meteorites of this class.
Dr. Christopher Herd, the Curator of the University of Alberta Meteorite Collection, will lead future research on the University’s approximately 650 grams of this rare meteorite and it is expected the research will shed light on the origins and early years of our solar system.
It’s a good thing this important meteorite is staying in Canada as it will no doubt prove historically and academically significant.
Hasta La Bye-Bye Señor Meteor Merchant – maybe more luck will shower you with more extraterrestrial product.