Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies

Benld is an ordinary chondrite (H6) that fell the morning of September 29th, 1938, in Macoupin County, Illinois.  The Benld meteorite was only the second meteorite recovered in Illinois (there are now 10 recognized meteorites from the state), and its fall was quite spectacular.  The meteorite was described by B.H. Wilson in Popular Astronomy (1938)…

The Buseck Center for Meteorite Studies is pleased to welcome Dr. Ren Marquez! Marquez is the very first BCMS Meteorite Studies Postdoctoral Fellow. He has extensive experience in ultra-low-blank laboratory techniques for analyzing small meteorite samples, which he used during his PhD at the California Institute of Technology to study presolar precursors in primitive meteoritic…

Earth and Space Exploration Day is Friday, October 4th from 6PM to 9PM: Visit the Meteorite Gallery and hold a rock from space! Discover interactive exhibits in the Gallery of Scientific Exploration! Take in a 3-D astronomy show in the Marston Exploration Theater! See a replica of the Curiosity Mars Rover! So much more! Click…

A new paper on the Tarda and Tagish Lake meteorites by BCMS Deputy Director Devin Schrader and colleagues (including Center Alumns Jemma Davidson, Zack Torrano, and Greg Brennecka) shows how similar they both are, and suggests that D-type and P-type asteroids may be fragments of the same parent body. We also identified potential parent asteroid sources…

Crescent is a CM2 carbonaceous chondrite that fell in Oklahoma, the evening of August 17th, 1936. The associated fireball was visible in Texas and Kansas, as well as Oklahoma, and the meteorite’s recovery was immediately organized.  While the first stone, a 73-gram chondrite in fresh condition, was collected three days after the fall (by a…