Willamette Meteorite Plaque

[Tuberale]

The following photos are of the Willamette Meteorite plaque, located in downtown Willamette, Oregon, in front of the Willamette Methodist Church, located on Willamette Falls Drive and 13th Street.

 

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[TerryC]

Tuberale, is that the actual meteorite? The bottom looks like a very nice area of oriented ablation shield. Neat! TTC

 

[Tuberale]

Sorry, no TerryC. The real one is in the American Museum of Natural History. This stone is much-reduced replica of what the original meteorite may have once looked like. Do a search for Willamette Meteorite to see the real thing: 11 feet across at its widest. The Willamette is the largest known oriented meteorite, I believe. That just means that while entering the atmosphere, it did not tumble, but stayed in the same position from the time it entered the atmosphere until it impacted.

 

[TerryC]

Sorry, no TerryC. The real one is in the American Museum of Natural History. This stone is much-reduced replica of what the original meteorite may have once looked like. Do a search for Willamette Meteorite to see the real thing: 11 feet across at its widest. The Willamette is the largest known oriented meteorite, I believe. That just means that while entering the atmosphere, it did not tumble, but stayed in the same position from the time it entered the atmosphere until it impacted.

Tnx TTC

 

[RebelRod]

Sorry, no TerryC. The real one is in the American Museum of Natural History. This stone is much-reduced replica of what the original meteorite may have once looked like. Do a search for Willamette Meteorite to see the real thing: 11 feet across at its widest. The Willamette is the largest known oriented meteorite, I believe. That just means that while entering the atmosphere, it did not tumble, but stayed in the same position from the time it entered the atmosphere until it impacted.

Another interesting fact is that the Willamette Meteorite is originally thought to have landed, probably somewhere in Idaho and was carried down by the last great Missoula flood and or glaciers. One of only 6 known Meteorites to be found in Oregon. What we lack in quantity though, the Willamette Meteorite certainly made up for in size.

 

[Tuberale]

Another interesting fact is that the Willamette Meteorite is originally thought to have landed, probably somewhere in Idaho and was carried down by the last great Missoula flood and or glaciers. One of only 6 known Meteorites to be found in Oregon. What we lack in quantity though, the Willamette Meteorite certainly made up for in size.

Theory of Willamette actually falling in MT, ID or southern Canada proposed by Dick Pugh. Doing a search for Pugh and Willamette meteorite should show the actual citation.

Several suspected large meteorites have apparently been sighted or seen in PNW. One, reported by Washington Irving in his book Astoria, said to have fallen across the Columbia River from Astoria in the late 1700's or early 1800's, perhaps on Scarborough Point or very close by. This one cannot be recovered by any but the Tchinooks, though, as it was considered sacred to them during Chief Concomolly's lifetime.

Another stone said to be in Opal Creek area of Marion County about 1950 or so, and also quite large.

Largest though was a 23-foot-across meteorite from southern Oregon that fell in written history, also not legal to make recovery of because of federal restrictions.

Other purported stones near Pilot Rock in Eastern Oregon; near Sisters in Central Oregon; one recovered by Ken White Sr. and supposed to have been kept on a pallet in back of his home near White's Electronics in Sweet Home; as well as several others in Washington, California and Idaho.

It has been suggested that an 8 ounce meteorite strikes every square mile of earth every 10,000 years or so. Most of the West Coast probably older. BTW, the estimates of the age of the universe comes largely from meteoritical data.

 

[wheelerite]

Back in the 60's some cousins of mine living in mulino found a large piece of slag and had it checked out by a geologist who was able to get a piece off and had it cut, found this to be a meteorite. My guess on weight would be about 200 lbs. It was about 3 feet long if I remember correctly and maybe 18 inches wide and about 4 to 5 inches thick. I was able to get a chunk off of it myself and took it home. MY cousins later loaned this meteorite to omsi in portland. After about 15 years one of my cousins decided that he would check on the status of the meteorite and was told that it was lost. At least that was what he told me.
A little more info on the meteorite was that the geologist suggested that it was probably a piece of the Willamette meteorite and was an iron-nickel meteorite.
I haven't seen my cousins far long while, so I don't know if he pursued the location of the meteorite or not. I would think that piece would have been quite valuable.
ksmith

 

[Tuberale]

Back in the 60's some cousins of mine living in mulino found a large piece of slag and had it checked out by a geologist who was able to get a piece off and had it cut, found this to be a meteorite. My guess on weight would be about 200 lbs. It was about 3 feet long if I remember correctly and maybe 18 inches wide and about 4 to 5 inches thick. I was able to get a chunk off of it myself and took it home. MY cousins later loaned this meteorite to omsi in portland. After about 15 years one of my cousins decided that he would check on the status of the meteorite and was told that it was lost. At least that was what he told me.
A little more info on the meteorite was that the geologist suggested that it was probably a piece of the Willamette meteorite and was an iron-nickel meteorite.
I haven't seen my cousins far long while, so I don't know if he pursued the location of the meteorite or not. I would think that piece would have been quite valuable.
ksmith

The most recent sale of a portion of the Willamette Meteorite, which was cut, etched and coated to prevent air deteoration, was valued at $10,000/lb: something every meteorite hunter should keep in mind when having a specimen scientifically examined.

BTW, there is a world-wide database for all confirmed meteorites. There is no Mulino stone on that list.

 

[wheelerite]

I don't know to say about that tuberale, that is just what they told me. I guess I will have to find that piece that I got off of it.
ksmith

 

[Tuberale]

The Meteoritical Bulletin at: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/index.php has a listing of all confirmed meteorites everywhere in the world. A useful resource for meteorites wherever you are searching.

Oregon currently has 6 known meteorites, yet mathematics supports a claim of at least one 8 oz. or larger meteorite on every square mile of land older than 10,000 years. If the land is older than 10,000 years, divide the age of the area by 10,000 to find the number of meteorites each square mile should have on it.

This is something everyone with a metal detector should know.