Tambo Quemado Geoff Noktin Collection 80.0g

Description

“Tambo” means “building” in Quechua, the language spoken by the Incas, and “quemado” means “burnt” in Spanish. Located in Peru, Tambo Quemado is a small village—its population size is about 300-400. The mass was originally found in 1949 by J. Ernesto Lañas del Castillo in a remote part of the Andes Mountains.

This meteorite is classified as a IIIAB iron and believed to have formed in the core of a differentiated asteroid. The IIIAB classification system divides iron meteorites into three main groups based on their chemical composition, with the “III” indicating that the meteorite contains between 4.5% and 7% nickel by weight, and the “AB” indicating that it contains a significant amount of the mineral kamacite, which has a characteristic crystalline structure.

Silicate inclusions are rarely seen in IIIAB irons, but there have been instances of such a phenomenon occurring within a Tambo Quemado specimen. A possible explanation is that the inclusions originated in the lower mantle of the asteroid, close to the core, or that small masses of iron formed and cooled in the mantle.

In his global travels spanning over two decades, Geoff Notkin amassed a truly world-class collection of meteorites, which we are pleased to present. These pieces are an assemblage of top-quality examples of stone and iron meteorites, pallasite, mesosiderites, impactites, and lunar and Martian specimens. Also represented are historic and rare meteorite types, which often come with the best stories.

Geoff has opened his vault and pulled some of his long-time favorites, meticulously hand-painting Notkin Collection (NC) numbers on some. Experienced collectors will spot famous meteorites among the lot, including rocks Geoff pulled from the ground himself from impact sites around the world. This is a spectacular opportunity for novice collectors as well, who would do well to pick up a Notkin Collection meteorite not likely to circulate the market in the future.

Each Notkin Collection piece is accompanied by a special identification card, signed by Geoff himself, that includes that meteorite’s unique NC number.