Verkhnyi Saltov

Kharkov district, Ukraine

Found 2001, April or May

Iron , coarse octahedrite (IIIAB)

An iron (21x16x7 cm) weighing 9.53 kg was found during archeological work at the shore line of the Pechenezhsky water reservoir, 2 km south of the Verkhnyi Saltov village. This piece was recovered within the Verkhnesaltov archeological complex. This site was a big city, a capital of the Khazar state in 8th to 10th centuries. Classification and mineralogy (M.A.Nazarov, Vernad.): the piece was enveloped by Fe hydroxide layer of about 5 mm in thick; kamacite (5.9-6.8 wt% Ni; 0.48-0.59 wt% Co) and taenite (25.7-30.8 wt% Ni; 0.17-0.34 wt% Co) form the Widmanstatten pattern with 1.5-3 mm kamacite bandwidths; rare troilite-chromite inclusions are present. INAA data (J. T. Wasson, UCLA): Ni 79.5, Co 4.99 (mg/g), Cr 42, Cu 146, Ga 20.7, Ge <41, As 4.99, Ru 8.5, Re 0.258, Ir 3.16, Pt 10.0, Au 0.682 (μg/g) indicate the IIIAB group. Specimens: type specimen 1.03 kg, Vernad; main mass with anonymous owner.