Clarendon (c) stone meteorite (L4 chondrite) slice and as-found fragment, both found by 'Meteorite Men' star Geoff Notkin. The full, laboratory-prepared slice weighs 49.2 grams and measures approximately 89 mm x 77 mm x 3 mm, and the as-found fragment weighs 250.2 grams and measures approximately 74 mm x 53 mm x 36 mm. Accompanied by two specimen identification cards from Aerolite Meteorites.
Clarendon (c) is one of the great meteorite discovery stories of recent years. Ranchers Dee Dee and Frank Hommel were exercising horses on their ranch in Clarendon, Texas in April of 2015 when, as they reported, their rides 'went crazy,' allegedly over the proximity of a very large rock. The rock turned out to be a giant and mostly intact stone meteorite that was later determined to be of the extraordinary weight of 345 kg / 759 lbs. The find generated considerable local interest and was featured on television and in newspapers. Professional meteorite hunters Geoff Notkin (of TV’s 'Meteorite Men') and Ruben Garcia were given exclusive permission to hunt the find site and, following an intensive search with metal detectors, they recovered a number of smaller fragments that evidently weathered off the main mass as it lay partially buried in the ground, including those here offered.
This meteorite is known as Clarendon (c) because, remarkably enough, two other much smaller and unrelated meteorites were found nearby: Clarendon (a) in 1979 and Clarendon (b) in 1981.
The main mass of Clarendon (c) was acquired by the Oscar E. Monnig Meteorite Gallery, at TCU, Fort Worth where it will be permanently displayed. Although this is one of the largest meteorites ever found in the United States, the vast majority of extant material resides happily within the main mass and very little of it will be available to collectors. An important Texas meteorite with a great find story, rarely offered for sale.
