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Tamentit - Part 1 of 2
michel franco schrieb:
> Hello list ...and Bernd: I am looking
> for info about the TAMENTIT meteorite.
Bonjour Michel, Hello List!
V.F. Buchwald, Handbook of Iron Meteorites, Vol.3, pp. 1177-1179
(excerpts):
Tamentit, Touat, Algeria
Approximately 27° 45' N, 000° 10' W; 300 m
Medium octahedrite, Om.
Group IIIA.
8.31% Ni - 0.21% P - 20.3 ppm Ga - 42.7 ppm Ge - 2.5 ppm Ir.
History
A large mass, about 1/2 m in diameter, was reported by Rohlf (1865)
to be lying in the Tamentit Oasis in the district of Touat. Rohlf's
description clearly indicated that the mass was an unusually
well-preserved meteorite, so it was briefly mentioned on numerous
later occasions (e.g., Buchner 1869: 602; Wülfing 1897: 406). However,
samples of the mass could not be procured, because the Arabs regarded
it with veneration and considered it their talisman.
When the development of the Algerian Sahara improved after the first
World War, interest in the meteorite renewed. Lacroix (1927a,b) has
given a detailed description of the efforts that eventually, in 1927,
resulted in the arrival of the 510 kg mass in Paris. It has since
attracted attention as perhaps the most beautiful sample in the
meteorite collection of the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle.
According to Lacroix, Arab manuscripts and word of mouth maintain that
a block of gold was observed to fall between Noum en Nas and Tittaf.
When the adjacent tribes assembled on the spot, a heated dispute over
the right of possession arose so Allah (God) in anger transformed the
mass into silver. As still no agreement could be reached, the mass was
transformed into iron. The nomads then lost interest for a while, but
later Shaykh 'Amr, ordered the meteorite to be transported to Tamentit
and placed in front of the mosque.
>From the names of the tribes and the shaykh involved in the legend,
Lacroix was able to date the fall to the fourteenth century, probably
close to 1400. The Tamentit is thus the oldest iron meteorite fall on
record which is still preserved in its entirety.
The site of fall, between Noum en Nas and Tittaf, has the coordinates
given above. Tamentit is a small Oasis about 40 km north-northwest of
Tittaf, a village which is shown on modern maps. In Tamentit, the
meteorite was found buried in the middle of a crossing made by two
narrow, winding streets and only 40 cm of the domed shield emerged;
people always passed close to it but were allegedly careful not to
damage it.
Best regards,
Bernd
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