Meteorites and Tektites

Astrophysics Collection

The collection of geophysical and astrophysical specimens consists of meteorites and tektites. These specimens are used for educational and museological purposes, notably to illustrate themes in permanent and temporary exhibitions, as well as in various educational activities. The collection comprises nearly 400 meteorite specimens—metallic, stony, and mixed types—together with a large number of tektites.

 

The collection as a whole is not accessible to the general public, as it is housed in the museum’s storage facilities. However, the most spectacular specimens are displayed in the Naturmusée’s permanent exhibition.

 

Among these, visitors can admire a fragment of a Martian meteorite (o Shergottite type). This specimen originated from the surface of Mars and was ejected towards Earth following the impact of another meteorite. This rare sample, about the size of a 1 euro coin, weighs 9 grams. It was discovered in the Sultanate of Oman in 1999. The cut face reveals the characteristic green texture with black patches typical of shergottites.

 

Most of the collection was assembled in the late 1990s through the acquisition of part of the private collection of Professor Emeritus Zelimir Gabelica.

 

Since then, the collection has been expanded whenever acquisition opportunities arise.

Specimens of particular importance

The most impressive pieces include :
  • the Gibeon meteorite (Namibia), complete with fusion crust, weighing nearly 69 kg;
  • an excellent Tres Castillos specimen, 78 g (found in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1992), displaying superb Widmanstätten patterns. This meteorite is a medium octahedrite of type III AB, with a total estimated fall of 150 kg ;

  • a 46 g mass of Henbury, found in Australia in 1931, with a beautifully preserved fusion crust. It is a medium octahedrite of type IIIA, with a total mass of around 200 kg. ;

  • a 126 g mass of Mbale, an ordinary veined chondrite (stone meteorite) of type L5/6, found in Uganda in 1992. Its total mass is estimated at around 150 kg ;

  • a magnificent tektite of the Rizalite variety, from the Philippines (Rizal Province), weighing 213 g. It displays a typical cracked, spherical form reminiscent of certain conifer seed structures ;
  • and finally, the centrepiece of the collection: an 18.5 g mass of the meteorite Dar al Gani 861, found in Libya at Hammadah al Hamra in January 2000 and acquired by the museum in 2001. It is a calcium poor achondrite of the ureilite type. This mass represents the majority of the total fall, which amounts to 25.2 g.

 

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