Three South African meteorites: Vaalbult, Witklip, and Queens Mercy

Extract

Small portion (B.M. 1921, 274) of the Vaalbult meteoric iron, weighing about 184 grams, was kindly placed at the disposal of the writer for examination by the late Dr. L. Peringuey, Director of the South African Museum, Cape Town. According to information received from him, this meteorite is known as the 'Vaalbult' siderite, and was presented to the South Afican Museum on April 22, 1918, by Mr. S. Grove, Member of the Provincial Council of the Cape for the Prieska Division, who obtained it from Mr. Japie Greeff, the owner of the farm on which it was found, probably early in the same year. The original mass weighed about 26 lb. and was very deeply and broadly pitted. In external appearance it is somewhat similar to the large (1,210 lb.) Ratteldraai iron from the Kenhardt Division, more than 60 miles distant, found in 1909. A cast of the iron sent by Dr. Peringuey shows that it is of very irregular shape.