Slaghek's Iron, Updated Information from V. Moggi Cecchi, MSP

History: A mass of 1.9 kg was picked up by an anonymous collector in the Atacama Desert, Chile and brought to the Technical Institute of Livorno, Italy, by Gino H. Slaghek-Fabbri on October 1, 1916. No details of the place or date of find are available.

Physical characteristics: The top surface of the meteorite is covered by densely spaced pits 3-5 mm deep with sharp ridges in between. No traces of fusion crust are visible.

Petrography: (V. Moggi Cecchi, MSP): An etched section displays a medium Widmanstätten structure with straight, long and 1.3±0.2 mm wide kamacite lamellae (L/W ~25). Schreibersite commonly occurs as tiny rhabdite grains or as veins at grain boundaries. Laths of Brezina lamellae (>1 mm wide) surrounded by swathing kamacite occasionally observed. Plessite, partly spheroidized, is common. Neumann bands are rare, thus indicating low shock.

Geochemistry: (J.T. Wasson, UCLA, by INAA): The composition of the metal is 0.513 % Co, and 8.77 % Ni; 188 Cu, 22.0 Ga, 51.0 Ge, 8.53 As, 0.77 W, 0.450 Ir, 0.995 Au (all in μg/g); (F. Rugi, UniFi, by ICP-MS): 0.525% Co, and 8.82% Ni; 186 Cu, 24.0 Ga, 53.0 Ge, 8.47 As, 0.73 W, 0.453 Ir, 0.989 Au (all in μg/g).

Classification: (V. Moggi Cecchi, MSP): Iron (III AB, medium octahedrite).

Specimens: A total of 311 g of sample is on deposit at MSP (Inv. # 5193). MSNM holds of the main mass, now weighing 1512 g.