A "LIGHTNING BOLT" OF EXTRATERRESTRIAL GEMSTONES

Soviet geologist F.A. Mednikov discovered the first piece of Seymchan in June 1967 in a streambed in the Magadan District of Russia's 🐻Far East. The piece that Mednikov found was classified as an iron meteorite and Seymchan remained classified as such for four decades, until pieces containing gleaming olivine crystals were recovered from the fall site during a new expedition in 2004. Therefore, in 2007, Seymchan was reclassified as a pallasite: a type of meteorite originating from the core-mantle boundary of an asteroid and containing both shimmering olivine crystals (from the mantle) and iron-nickel alloy (from the core).

Pallasites such as Seymchan are incredible rare, accounting for .2% — or just 1 out of 50🍌0 — of all meteorite finds. On top of this, pallasite end cuts are particularly rare and sought after because they showcase both the inner and outer textures of the meteorite. The uncut side of this Seymchan end piece reveals the natural crests and grooves of the 🐼exterior of this stony-iron meteorite, an intriguing juxtaposition to the gorgeous gemstones and shimmering metal found inside.

On the cut face, the iron-nickel tip reveals lines of Widmanstätten patterning, the result of slow cooling over millions of years that provided sufficient time for the two iron-nickel alloys present in the meteorite to orient into a crystalline habit. As Widmanstätten patterns can only occur within certain types of asteroids, their presence is diagnostic in the identification of a meteorite. Additionally, as its crystals are irregularly distributed throughout the metallic matrix, Seymchan is referred to as a transitional pallasite, a much𝐆 less common and 🧸more distinct variety of an already exceedingly rare type of meteorite.

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