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The Wairarapa Meteorite.
It was not till 1864 that the first specimen was discovered, by Mr. Richard Collins, at Tohirua, near Masterton, in the Wairarapa Valley, North Island.
In the Geological Magazine the following short account is published: “I have to thank Dr. Hector, F.R.S., Director of the Geological Survey of New Zealand, for a short account of the only meteorite which has yet been found in that colony, and which is preserved in the Colonial Museum at Wellington.* It is in the form of an irregular six-sided pyramid, 7 in. high and 6 in. across the base; the edges are rounded, and the sides slightly convex and indented with shallow pits. The capacity of the stone is 49 cubic inches; the weight, 480 oz.; and the specific gravity is 3.254; the hardness, 5–6. It is strongly magnetic, but exhibits no decided polarity. The surface is of a light rusty-brown colour, and is stained with exudations of iron chloride and sulphate. A freshly fractured surface is dark grey mottled with a bright metal-like particle of what may be iron-monosulphide. By treatment with copper-sulphate the presence of what may be iron in the form of metal was determined; with hydrochloric acid sulphuretted hydrogen was evolved, sulphur set free, and a large quantity of gelatinous silicic acid separated. The insoluble portion, consisting of silica and insoluble silicates, constituted 56 per cent. of the stone. In the soluble portion the predominating ingredients were iron (amounting to 24.01 per cent.) and magnesia, along with nickel, manganese, and soda; alumina and chromium are not present. These reactions so far indicate in the New Zealand meteorite the presence of olivine and an insoluble silicate, in addition to nickel iron and what may be triolite or magnetic pyrites.”
There is also a similar account in the Juror's Report of the New Zealand Exhibition of 1865; it runs as follows: “An interesting form of iron exhibited was a rusty-looking mineral, weighing about half a pound, being a portion of a meteorite found in the Wairarapa Valley, in the Province of Wellington. It was not thought necessary to make a complete analysis of this mineral, but only sufficient to prove the similarity of its composition with that of other meteoric stones generally. The external surface of this mineral was of a rusty-red colour, in parts covered with exudations of chloride of iron, with a little sulphate. Freshly fractured, it showed a dark-grey colour, mottled over with bright metallic-looking particles (most probably protosulphide of iron). The shape of the mass is an irregular pyramid with rounded edges, measuring as follows: Height, 7 in.; length of base, 7 in.; breadth of base, 6 in.; contents, 49 cubic inches; weight, 9 ½ lb. The surface was broken by rounded indentations never exceeding ½ in. in depth, evidently produced by weathering. No distinct cleavage was
[Footnote] * The stone was only deposited in the Museum. It is now in the possession of Mr. W. G. Mantell, of Wellington, to whom it belongs.
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observed; hardness, 5 to 6; specific gravity, 3.254; moderately fusible in blowpipe-flame to a shining black magnetic slag with soda reactions. It was powerfully affected by the magnet, but did not exhibit any decided polarity. A little native iron was detected by the sulphate-of-copper test. Treated with warm HCl, a little sulphuretted hydrogen and sulphur were liberated, with a large quantity of silica in a gelatinous form. The total amount of insoluble matters after ignition was 56 per cent. of the original substance, consisting principally of liberated silica; the rest was undetermined silicates. Among the soluble matters, iron and magnesia predominated; there was a little soda, manganese, and nickel. Aluminium and chromium were tested, with negative results. The total quantity of iron present was 24.01 per cent. From the preceding facts it may be assumed that this mineral is a mixture of protosulphide of iron with iron chrysolite, with a small amount of insoluble silicates. The presence of native iron and nickel is almost conclusive of its meteoric origin.” Mr. Donovan, of Wellington, is at present making a more complete analysis of this stone.
In 1868* Mr. E. Baker published an account of a brilliant meteor which was seen at Wellington. He says, “At about a quarter after 7 o'clock on the evening of the 5th August … I observed a light, very much brighter than the moon (which … was only two days old), shining brightly in a clear sky. The light appeared to be a large round ball of fire, about the size of the moon, travelling from an easterly direction towards the west. The ball of fire burst, and a portion of it apparently struck the ground at about fifty to a hundred yards from my house at Karori. There was a rumbling noise at the time of the descent of the meteor.” Though mention is here made of a portion of the meteor falling to the earth, no stone seems to have been discovered.
In 1869† the Rev. A. Stock recorded a meteor which was seen at Wellington on the 8th November. He describes it in the following words: “It appeared suddenly in the E.S.E., at an altitude of 20o, and fell with a very rapid motion vertically. When it was first seen it appeared about three times as large as Venus, and shone with a yellow light. It suddenly appeared to diminish to a point of light, each diminution being accompanied with a shower of sparks, falling vertically. It suddenly increased to its old brilliancy, as suddenly diminished, then increased. Thus there were three brightnesses and two darker intervals. Another peculiarity was that it showed all the prismatic colours. There was no train of light left after its disappearance.”
[Footnote] * Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. i, p. 39.
[Footnote] † Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. ii, p. 402.