96-gr. (3.4-oz.) SMALL Chunk of Sudbury, Ontario Canada ANTHRAXOLITE IMPACTITE

Description

There is, quite understandably, a growing interest in large meteorites and asteroids. That such large objects struck
Earth in the past, and will continue to do so in future, is something scientists have only begun to appreciate since
about 1980. At present, there are 190 recognized structures, with one or two new ones being confirmed per year,
and perhaps two hundred potential sites awaiting study.
Long after a meteorite impact crater has disappeared from the landscape,
impactites
may yet remain. These often
quite distinctive varieties of Earth rock and soil were affected, sometimes profoundly so, by the impact.
Offered here for your kind consideration is one of only a few pieces I received recently, specifically a very large, fragile exquisite chunk of
very dark
anthraxolite
, a
rather mysterious and
highly anthracitic mineral from Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, site of one of the oldest and largest impact craters on Earth. The impact occurred nearly 1.86-billion years ago, and, anthraxolite such as this, is associated with the impac, found only in one narrow layer, probably under water, and I understand wholly inaccessible to collectors.
Such pieces are only very rarely offered, and I think only by me. It slices quite nicely and contains dark chocolate-colored large crystals.
Its origins are still poorly defined. It may have leached out from shales, however, nobody really knows. This very large beauty with its abundant crystals is about 5.8 x 5.2 x 3.6-cm (
2
¼
x 2 1/16 x 1 7/16--inches).
and it weighs 96
-grams (3.4-oz.).
It is, as you can see, simply gorgeous. I really hate to sell it but am liquidating my collection. I may put up a few larger pieces in future, but this is a most attractive smaller specimen of the lot.
I will include a roughly 5.0-cm (2-inch) wide descriptive label printed on card-stock that identifies the specimen and states this is
from the collection of Richard Dreiser
(as shown). I will ship very carefully packed via US First Class  Mail.
The original Sudbury crater is estimated to have been at least 250-km (155-miles) in diameter. It formed 1.86-billion (1.86 thousand-million) years ago and resulted in localized mass extinctions including the demise of local area  stromatolites (fossil algae). The blast sent dust and fragments of local or area rock many hundreds of km (miles) in every direction. Geologists have discovered evidence of Sudbury impact ejecta in the Gunflint Formation in Northern Minnesota, USA, and in the Silver Lake, Michigan, USA banded iron formations, both some
480-km (nearly 300-miles) away.
MORE ABOUT ANTHRAXOLITE:
According to Brian Bell, Brent Duse and Tim Venne at the Chelmsford Valley District Composite School, Sudbury Region: Anthraxolite is a hard, black lustrous graphitic coal, which has sometimes been confused with anthracite. The two differ in several respects, in hardness (anthraxolite 3-5, anthracite 2-2.5), and in fixed carbon content. The fixed carbon in anthraxolite varies between 75 and 90%. Our experiments however, showed samples with percentages over 95%. The average of samples gave the following results: fixed carbon 77.3%, ash 18%, moisture 3.5%, volatile matter 1.2%, which compares with results of tests done nearly 100 years ago.
Samples of both anthracite and anthraxolite were burnt. Anthraxolite burns with a bright blue flame but produces a lot of ash. Anthracite burns much better than anthraxolite, while the latter leaves much more ash.
The story of anthraxolite parallels the early history of mining in the Sudbury Region. In 1833, C.P. Rail accessed the area. Prospecting began. In 1890-91, Robert Bell reported galena and sphalerite in several places. Interest in the mineral possibilities of the Sudbury Basin was sparked by the discovery of anthraxolite on Balfour Township of the then District of Algoma, by J.R. Gordon of Sudbury in June 1896. This was during a search for platinum. He found little platinum. But he did report finding in the Onwatin slate, a black coal-like substance crossing it at various points. There was an outcrop situated not far from Stobie Falls and along the same belt as the faulting.The owner of lot 10 in the first concession of Balfour township, claimed that the substance was anthracite, while mineralogists maintained it was anthraxolite. Whatever it was, in a province without coal, this was an important find. Furthermore it had the added bonus of being close to the nickel mines. Experts on Pennsylvania hard coal declared the rocks similar to theirs and prophesied great things. A great coal boom was about to start. The Sudbury area was in for a period of prosperity.
The Bureau of Mines provided a diamond drill. Under the supervision of Gordon, drilling began in February 1897 in black fissile slate 100 feel south of the outcrop of anthraxolite. The vein was struck at 229 feet and proved to be 4 feet thick. This looked promising indeed, but later tests disproved the presence of anthracite and the unsuitability of anthraxolite… [as a source of fuel].
This specimen is suitable for a museum, university, or any good meteorite, mineral, or rock collection. It may be displayed in a variety of ways, as shown.