Meteorite Hickman 0,4g – Australia

Hickman is an iron meteorite discovered in 2018 in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It was named after the nearby Hickman Crater, approximately 2.5 kilometres southeast of which it was found. Its association with this well-known impact structure makes Hickman one of the more interesting modern Australian meteorite finds.

The Hickman meteorite is classified as an iron meteorite of the IAB group and structurally belongs to the medium octahedrites. It consists primarily of an iron-nickel alloy that formed within the interior of an ancient planetary body. When a cut surface is etched, the characteristic Widmanstätten pattern becomes visible, a structure that required extremely slow cooling over millions of years to develop. This pattern is one of the most distinctive features of iron meteorites.

One of the most intriguing aspects of the Hickman meteorite is the location where it was found. It was discovered in close proximity to Hickman Crater, an impact structure formed by the collision of a cosmic body in the distant past. Although it has not yet been conclusively proven that the meteorite originated from the object that created the crater, this possibility remains a subject of scientific discussion. Its proximity to the impact structure provides the meteorite with a particularly interesting geological context.