Altai Iron Meteorite Cube – widmanstatten patterns - 1075 g

Description :

I am pleased to offer this polished cube of the official iron meteorite Aletai, cut from a large mass discovered in China.

All six faces of the cube have been carefully polished, revealing spectacular Widmanstätten patterns, clearly visible in the photographs. These crystalline structures, formed by extremely slow cooling within the core of a differentiated parent body, make this specimen both scientifically important and visually striking.

With its sharp geometric presentation and fully exposed octahedrite structure, this piece represents an elegant and museum-quality display specimen of one of the world’s great iron meteorites.

“Six-Face Polished Aletai Iron – Classic Widmanstätten Structure”


Meteorite Details :

Meteorite name: Aletai (official meteorite name)

Abbreviation: No official abbreviation

Classification: Iron meteorite, IIIE-an

Country of origin: China

Region: Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Altai Prefecture

Year found: 1898

Total known mass: Approximately 74 tonnes

Observed fall: No

Meteoritical Bulletin: MB 105 (2016)

Approval date: 27 November 2016 (revised 3 October 2021 – new mass data)


Scientific & Historical Summary :

Chemical and petrographic analyses demonstrate that multiple iron masses discovered across northern Xinjiang belong to the same paired fall, now officially designated under the single name “Aletai.”

Previously used names such as Armanty, Xinjiang (b), Xinjiang 008, and Ulasitai are now synonyms of Aletai under the Meteoritical Bulletin nomenclature system.

The Aletai iron masses form a NW–SE strewn field extending approximately 425 km across China (with no confirmed Mongolian finds).

Petrography:
Major phases: kamacite, taenite, plessite
Minor phases: schreibersite, daubréelite, troilite, haxonite
Kamacite bandwidth: 0.89 ± 0.41 mm

The Widmanstätten structure visible on this cube is characteristic of IIIE iron meteorites and results from extremely slow cooling within a metallic planetary core.


Offered Specimen :

Weight: 1075 g

Shape: Precision-cut cube

Finish: All six faces polished

Structure: Fully visible Widmanstätten figures on each face

Condition: Stable iron meteorite, display-ready


History & Provenance :

The Aletai meteorite was first discovered in 1898 in the Xinjiang region of China. Subsequent large masses, including notable discoveries such as the Armanty, Wuxilike, and Akebulake masses, were later documented and formally unified under the official name Aletai.

This cube was cut from a large Aletai mass and professionally polished to reveal its full crystalline structure.

Aletai is one of the very few meteorites officially classified as Iron, IIIE-an, making it a scientifically important and highly collectible iron meteorite.


Authenticity & Scientific Classification :

Official meteorite name: Aletai

Classification: Iron meteorite – IIIE-an

Listed in: Meteoritical Bulletin MB 105 (2016)

Guaranteed authentic meteoritic material

Museum-quality polished cube with full Widmanstätten structure visible on all faces.


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Thank you for your interest,
Patrice Bachelier