Millbillillie (meteorite)

Millbillillie is a meteorite named after the cattle station in Western Australia on which it fell in October 1960.^[1] It is classified as a eucrite achondrite, a kind of stony meteorite.

Millbillillie
A 175 grams (6.2 oz) individual of the Millbillillie meteorite shower, a eucrite achondrite that fell in Western Australia in 1960. This specimen is approx. 6 centimetres (2.4 in) wide. Note the shiny black fusion crust with flow lines. The chip at lower right allows one to see the light-gray interior. The orange staining at top is a result of weathering, as these stones were not recovered until many years after they fell.
Type	Achondrite
Clan	HED meteorites[1]
Group	Eucrite[1]
Parent body	Possibly 4 Vesta[1]
Country	Australia[1]
Region	Millbillillie & Jundee Stations, Wiluna district, Western Australia[1]
Coordinates	26°27′S 120°22′E[1]
Observed fall	Yes[1]
Fall date	1960-10[1]
Found date	1970[1]
TKW	330 kilograms (730 lb)[1]
Strewn field	Yes[1]
77 grams (2.7 oz) oriented specimen of the Millbillillie eucrite meteorite.
Related media on Wikimedia Commons

History

21.78 grams (0.768 oz) complete specimen.

A fireball was observed "with sparks coming off it" by two stationworkers while they were opening a gate in the boundary fence on a track between Millbillillie and Jundee cattle stations.^[1] The object fell on a plain to the north.^[1] No search was made at the time but in 1970 and 1971 locals found two stones; Aboriginals have found others since.^[1] The largest stone weighed 20 kilograms (44 lb).^[1] It and a smaller one of 565 grams (19.9 oz) are held by the Western Australian Museum.^[1]

Mineralogy

Classification

See also

• Glossary of meteoritics

References

1. "Millbillillie". Meteoritical Bulletin Database. Meteoritical Society. Retrieved 7 January 2013.