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Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

Bells

September’s Meteorite of the Month is Bells, a C2-ungrouped carbonaceous chondrite that fell near Bells, Texas, September 9th of 1961.

In his 1963 article “The Bells, Texas, Meteorite” (Meteoritics. 2:1, p.67), Oscar E. Monnig describes the fall:

"A detonating fireball, September 9, 1961, over northeast Texas resulted in a fall of meteorites. By a prompt survey and long continued search some seven fragments totaling about 10 ounces were retrieved along a line some four miles long near Bells, Grayson County, Texas. The first fragment hit the roof of a house and was picked up next morning in a perfect, fresh state. The remainder were found after the passage of Hurricane Carla and some five inches of rain, so that all of these must be considered more or less altered. Two of these were substantially intact, but the other four had shattered on impact or crumbled through weathering. The fragments, and even powder, were admirably picked up by Alnico magnet. The meteorite is one of the rare carbonaceous chondrites."