A HISTORY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIAN METEORITICS

WA Museum Records and Supplements | Updated 1 decade ago

Abstract: The first documented Western Australian meteorites were a number of irons, the first of which was found in 1884 when agriculture was being established east of the early settlement at York. These beeame known as the "Youndegin meteorites" after a police station which was the last outpost of civilisation at the time. Some of these large specimens were taken to London to be sold as scrap metal, but fortunately were recognised as meteorites and acquired by various museums around the world.

Despite the sparse population and relatively recent time of settlement by Europeans, a number of factors have led to Western Australia's excellent record of meteorite recovery. Firstly the large regions of arid country enable meteorites to be preserved for long periods of time and recognised against the country rocks; secondly as far as can be ascertained the Aboriginal people of Australia showed little interest in meteorites; and thirdly Western Australians have presented their discoveries to the Western Australian Museum in recognition of their value to science.

The person responsible for laying the foundation for the State's meteorite collection was Dr E.S. Simpson who. as Government Mineralogist from 1922 to 1939. collected and analysed many of the meteorites which today form the basis of the collection. The first catalogue describing Western Australian meteorites was published in 1965. It described 48 Western Australian meteorites, 29 of which were irons. The large number of irons probably resulted from their long terrestrial ages and the ability of people to recognise them. The small proportion of falls to finds (2 in 4*) is probably due to the sparse population of the State. Interest in meteoritics was enhanced in the 1960s so that when the 2nd Supplement to the Catalogue was published in 1972, 92 meteorites were recorded, most of the additional discoveries being stones.

The Nullarbor Region in the Eucla Basin has been a 'happy hunting ground' for meteorite collectors. To date. 78 distinct and well-documented meteorite finds are recorded from this region, and since 1971, in excess of 500 individuals and fragments of meteorites have been recorded from the Eucla Basin. The doyen of Western Australian meteorite collectors is undoubtedly Mr A.J. Carlisle. who has lived and worked in the Nullarbor Region for much of his life. Specimens from approximately 80 distinct meteorites have been found by members of the Carlisle family.