On the Trail of the Great Canadian Meteorites
Abee, Alberta
After leaving Bruderheim, we then 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 ! )
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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.
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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.
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It was included on a Canadian Silver $5 coin in 2018.
