1.05" Etched Seymchan Pallasite Slice (15grams) - Russia

The Seymchan Meteorite

The Seymchan meteorite is a PMG (main group) pallasite, found in the dry riverbed of the Hekandue River, near the city of Seymchan in eastern Russia. The main 270-kilogram mass was discovered in 1967, and was originally classified as a coarse octahedrite (IIE) iron.

Another 50 kilograms were recovered in 2004, containing olivine crystals in about 20 percent of the new material. Seymchan was appropriately reclassified as a PMG pallasite. Theories suggest these olivine-rich portions were sheared off of the main metallic body at their border points.

This meteorite has a few unique features: it contains an unusually high amount of iridium, which may make cases for mining asteroids for the element. Its Widmanstätten patterns are also bent due to massive shearing forces at impact.