Iron meteorite, IVA. Arctic Circle, near Muonionalusta Island, Sweden, first known 1906. Wristwatch with meteorite face. A slice of this Arctic Circle meteorite has been fashioned into the face for this fully-functioning wrist watch. Meteorites found in remote and nearly inaccessible locales seem to hold a special allure for hunters and collectors alike. Muonionalusta is no exception. The fall site lies north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden and the meteorites found there are so ancient their fall pre-dates at least one ice age.
Long-vanished rivers of ice carried meteorites with them for a time, but left the heavy irons behind as they melted, mixing them in with a flotsam and jetsam of mismatched transported rocks known to geologists as terminal moraine. Having been casually “dumped” by retreating ice, the locations and depths at which Muonionalusta meteorites are buried are, therefore, completely random. Conventional meteorite hunting techniques must be thrown out the window by those in search of this ancient and puzzling iron.
The Muonionalusta strewnfield was featured in two episodes of the hit television series Meteorite Men. Much like the Gibeon iron meteorite from Namibia [SEE LOT 2416], Muonionalusta displays a beautiful Widmansta¨tten etch pattern after preparation in the laboratory, as can be seen in this lot. A slice of this Arctic Circle meteorite has been fashioned into the face for this fully-functioning wrist watch. Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from Aerolite Meteorites.
