Millbillillie (meteorite)

Millbillillie
A 175 grams (6.2 oz) individual of the Millbillillie meteorite shower, a eucrite achondrite that fell in 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
Group	Eucrite
Parent body	Possibly 4 Vesta
Country	Australia
Region	Millbillillie & Jundee Stations, Wiluna district, Western Australia
Coordinates	26°27′S 120°22′E
Observed fall	Yes
Fall date	1960-10
Found date	1970
TKW	330 kilograms (730 lb)
Strewn field	Yes
77 grams (2.7 oz) oriented specimen of the Millbillillie eucrite meteorite.

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

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. The object fell on a plain to the north. No search was made at the time but in 1970 and 1971 locals found two stones; Aboriginals have found others since. The largest stone weighed 20 kilograms (44 lb). It and a smaller one of 565 grams (19.9 oz) are held by the Western Australian Museum.

As of January 2013 pieces of Millbillillie were on sale for around US$22/g.

See also

• Glossary of meteoritics