Rare meteorite seen and found near Karoonda in Murray Mallee in 1930 goes in 2022 to South Australian Museum
The major fragment (inset) of the meteorite that fell in 1930 from the sky over Karoonda in South Australia's Murray Mallee.
Images courtesy Dictrict Council of Karoonda East Murray and blnt pencil Instagram
The biggest piece of a rare meteorite that fell near the town of Karoonda in South Australia’s Murray Mallee region on November 25, 1930, was loaned to the South Australian Museum in 2022.
The blazing descent of the meteorite at 10.53pm was seen by some in the district. With a thunderous clap as it broke the sound barrier, the meteor shook the ground as it landed, setting off a chorus of barking dogs. The rare witnessing of a meteorite landing by local people had a rare sequel when it was found a few weeks later. Led by Adelaide University professor Kerr Grant, South Australian government astronomer George Dodwell and a team of students, the search party found the 92 fragmenets of the space rock on December 9.
Named after Karoonda, the meteorite and its 40-kilogram-plus fragments were made up of minerals like magnesium, iron and nickel. Professor Douglas Mawson the Professor of Geology analysed and described the meteorite for a 1934 scientific publication. It was an unusual meteorite type known as chondritic asiderite. It mainly consisted of olivine with minor amounts of a range of unusual minerals.
Adelaide Planetarium astronomy lecturer Paul Curnow told ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) News that the stony type meteorite was “fairly rare, and what makes it even more rare is it's a carbonaceous chondrite, so it contains carbon. They only represent about 4.6% of all falls."
Several fragments of the Karoonda meteorite were retrieved and went to the South Australian Museum for display, while the local council was awarded one of the largest pieces. After keeping the meteorite piece for 92 years, the District Council of Karoonda East Murray decided to send it to the museum for safekeeping in 2022.
Mayor Caroline Phillips says the cosmic rock had been consistently identified by auditors as a risky asset, with council insurers unable to adequately cover the fragment. Even small fragments of a meteorite weighing less than one gram can sell for around $100. The council would retain ownership of the meteorite but it lent to the South Australian Museum to take on the care and custody of the rare item.
A replica of the rock would be displayed in the council office as part of local history, rather than having the real thing locked away because it was so valuable.
