Homestead is a L5

meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...

fallen on 12 February 1875 in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, first described by

Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs Gustavus Detlef Hinrichs (2 December 1836 – 14 February 1923) was a chemist and natural philosopher most widely known for his findings on periodic laws within the chemical elements. Born in the Duchy of Holstein, which at that time was under th ...

. Sometimes called the Amana meteorite because of the nearby

Amana Colonies The Amana Colonies are seven villages on located in Iowa County in east-central Iowa, United States: Amana (or Main Amana, German: ''Haupt-Amana''), East Amana, High Amana, Middle Amana, South Amana, West Amana, and Homestead. The villag ...

it was called the Homestead meteorite, because

Homestead, Iowa Homestead is an unincorporated community in Iowa County, Iowa, United States. Homestead is a census-designated place with the population recorded as 135 in the 2020 census. Geography Homestead is in northeastern Iowa County at the junction of ...

was the nearest train station. The Amana meteorites also include a large meteorite fallen in May 1879.

History

On the evening of 12 February 1875 above

a brilliant fireball was observed. It produced a variety of rumbling sounds and detonations, which shook houses "as if moved by an earthquake". About 100

fragments fell over a snowy countryside area from Amana to Boltonville in Iowa County. The first found fragment, a stone weighing about , was discovered by Sarah Sherlock south of

Homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (building), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Nguni homestead, a cluster of houses inhabited by a single extended family, typically with a kraal ...

.Paul Garvin, ''Iowa's minerals: their occurrence, origins, industries, and lore''. University of Iowa Press, 1998
187
/ref> The area was wooded and covered by snow, impeding recovery efforts. On 10 February a snowfall blanketed the ground, preventing the great majority of the fragments from being discovered until spring. The main mass was found along with a fragment buried in the soil. The meteorite made international news.

, a natural scientist from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

reported about it in

Popular Science Monthly Popular science (also called pop-science or popsci) is an interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is more broad ranging. It may be written ...

in 1875. As of December 2011, approximately has been found. The meteorite has brought "a small fortune" to the Amana area, as pieces were sold for a day s wage per pound at the time and added to collections in the US and Europe.

1879

The Amana meteorites also include a large meteorite fallen in

Estherville, Iowa Estherville is a city in Emmet County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,904 in the 2020 census, a decline from 6,656 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Emmet County. History Emmet County was initially created by an act of ...

on May 10, 1879. Its largest piece weighed 437 pounds and buried 14 feet deep into a farm field. It is the largest witnessed meteorite in North America. The largest piece can be visited at the Estherville Meteorite Center, in downtown Estherville. File:PSM V07 D609 Iowa township iowa county iowa.jpg, Homestead meteorite strewnfield File:PSM V07 D609 Iowa county meteorites.jpg, 1875 drawing of some fragments File:Homestead meteorite, crusted edge.jpg, Crusted edge

Composition and classification

It is a L5 type

ordinary chondrite The ordinary chondrites (sometimes called the O chondrites) are a class of stony chondritic meteorites. They are by far the most numerous group, comprising 87% of all finds. Hence, they have been dubbed "ordinary". The ordinary chondrites are t ...

. It is also brecciated and veined.

References

Bibliography

* Ivanova, M. A.; Krot, A. N.; Mitreikina, O. B.; Zinovieva, N. G., ''"Chromite-rich Inclusions in the Homestead (L5) Chondrite"'', Abstracts of the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, volume 23, page 585, 03/1992.

External links

Encyclopedia of meteorites: Homestead

*
The Amana Meteorites
' by