On the Trail of the Great Canadian Meteorites
Abee, Alberta
After leaving Bruderheim, we took a 90km side trip to see where Canadas rarest and wierdest meteorite was found.
The hamlet of Abee (smaller than a village, with a census population of only 27) has a Post Office and sits on a railway line. Unlike Bruderheim, there is no local visible fanfare about being the site of a strange meteorite find.
Abee
This meteorite fell on June 9 1952 as a fireball and a single 107 kg fusion-crusted mass was recovered from a 6 foot deep angled crater in a wheat field 5 days later.
( meteorites seem to have an affinity for farmers ! )
It is a beautiful and rare example of an EH4 impact-melt breccia meteorite ( breccias are fragments of rocks and minerals cemented together). Abee has varied sized metal-rimmed chunks. Also known as an enstatite (magnesium-rich silicate) chondrite.
It has a very low oxygen content compared to other meteorites. Researchers have studied it for years as to its origins as it does not easily fit into the usual categories.
It was included on a Canadian Silver $5 coin in 2018.
