Iron, fine octahedriteGibeon, Great Nama Land, Namibia

Among the most spectacular iron meteorites known are the Gibeons found in Namibia’s Kalahari Desert. Although familiar to the natives, who had hammered small pieces into weapons and tools, the Gibeon meteorite was not known to westerners until about 1836. Gibeon crystallized deep in the molten iron core of a large asteroid that was shattered by an enormous impact. What was to become the Gibeon mass was ejected into interplanetary space where it resided for millions of years until it impacted Earth. Gibeon meteorites vary widely in shape, which is due to a variety of variables including the composition of the meteorite, the chemistry of the soil in which it landed and its exposure to the elements as the seasons turned over thousands of years.