The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1891-11-12
METEORlTES IN MEXICO.
Hugo Blocks Of Iron Weighing
Many Tons.
Some OF Them Discovered Centuries Ago
Interesting Facts Concerning Their
Curious Characteris-
tlcs,

The most remarkable meteoric irons
Of America as respects size and weight
are found upon the tablelands of Mexi-
co, says w p Blake in the New York
independent. Through the efforts OF
Prof. Castillo the mineral collections OF
the Mineria. the Mexican school of
mines, in the City of Mexico, have been
Of late greatly enriched by the addition
of f;,ll-sized casts in papier-mache of
some of these enormous masses, the
great weight of which prevents their
being transported to the city Some OF
these casts or models were exhibited at
the Paris exhibition in 1889, and have
but recently been on exhibition in Mex
leo. They are so well made and col
ored that the visitor at first supposes
| that he sees the real and original masses
| Of iron.
The largest irons occur in the state OF
| chihuahua and are known as the me
| teorites Of Chupaderos. According to
the history of Philip L., they were dis
covered by the explorer Antonio dc
| Espe 10 in 1881. This refers to the two
largest blocks. lying in the soil some
three hundred yards apart, but evident
ly broken one from the other at the
time Of the fall. This becomes strik-
:ngly evident when the two models are
brought together end to end, for the
ragged projections of one fit into the
impressions in the other, and the thick
| ness of the contact is the same in both.
| The smaller Of the blocks SO represent
| ed by the cast is about feet in length
and feet inches in breadth, and Is
inches in thickness. Its density is 7.S0,
and its weight by calculation is not less
than 1880 pounds. or over nine tons
The second and larger portion meas
ures over feet IN length and 6}s feet
in width, and about 10 inches in thick
ness. Its mass is calculated as two
cubic meters. and it's weight $1,000
pounds.
The two portions If united would pre-.
sent the appearance of an irregular
plate or tabular mass over fifteen feet
long. from three TO six feet wide and
a half yard thick, and would weigh
nearly twenty-five tons. BolS masses
contain the metal troilite, a 2roto-
sulphid of iron characteristic of metecric
masses. giving additional evidence, |,
any were needed. of the extra terres-
trial origin of these irons
1t is hard to conceive how such a
massive plate of metal could have been
broken asunder. even by the force OF
the shock of contact with the surface OF
the earth; but such fractures are COM
mon to meteorites, and are explained
by the resistance of the air, producing
sudden and great heat of the outer por.
tions of the intensely cold body from
the frigid regions of space. Meteorites
also contain quantities of gases occluded
in their substance. Fractures were
clearly shown in the Iowa meteorites
and in those which fell several miles
apart in India in 1861, which fit to.
gether. The peculiar tabular form is
unusual among meteOrites 1t at once
suggests the possible origin OF the
mass in vein-like dssure or between
walls. This. however, is a mere sur
mise.
There are three distinct zones ir
which meteorites have fallen in Mex
leo: /. That of Oaxaca, where new
blocks and masses are found from time
> to time and are characterized by the
absence of trolite and their inalterabil
!. ity in the air. 2. That of Toluca, il
r which immense quantities of little frag
9 mcnts are found, especially at and neal
Z Xiquipilco. in the valley of Toluca
o These irons decompose rapidly in thu
e air, becoming rusty and covered will
I exudations of chloride of iron and greer
! efflorescences containing nickel. Th'
j largest mass weighs about ninet.
Q pounds and others are Of all sizes. The.
9 are found in cultivating the fields ant
: in the small ravines after heavy rains
I 8. The region of the north part Of tn
y republic comprising the Chihuahua fall
8 and others north and south Of Jimenez
!. which place may be regarded as nea
v the central line. The meteorites o
a this zone are not very alterable by ex
!. posure. and they contain trolite II
\ abundance. Mention should also b
made of the celebrated Irwin-Ainsa o
Ring meteorite from Sonora, for man
: years past in the National museum a
Washington.