30. THICK SLAB OF TJEREBON — METEORITE DEALERS’ SPECIAL
L5
Java, Indonesia (6° 40'S, 106° 35'E)
Fell July 10, 1922 / TKW 16.5 kg
Similar to the previous lot but far larger. Nearly 104 years ago on July 10, 1922, a fireball blazed across the night sky of Java, Indonesia. It was hot and humid that night and the bolide was seen by scores of witnesses. The subsequent detonation was heard for miles around after which a careful search yielded just two stones, each of which weighed just 8 kilograms. With a matrix tinted in hues ranging from cocoa to sienna to sand, 75% of the rim is covered in fusion crust. As a result of Indonesia’s lush tropical environment, meteorites are exceedingly difficult to find, and it’s not coincidental that of the 21 Indonesian meteorites on record 19 are witnessed falls. Now offered is a thick slab of the largely unavailable Tjerebon — the meteorite dealers’ special offering of this sale.
108 x 141 x 35mm (4.25 x 5.5 x 1.33 in.) and 1059.7 grams (2.33 lbs)
Provenance: Bandong Geology Museum, Bandong, Indonesia
Estimate: $20,000 – 25,000 * Reserve: $16,000