Catalog of Meteorites from Victoria Land, Antarctica, 1978-1980

Abstract

This is the second catalog of meteorite specimens collected on expeditions to Victoria Land led by William A. Cassidy of the University of Pittsburgh. The first (Catalog of Antarctic Meteorites, 1977-1978, U. B. Marvin and B. Mason, editors, 1980) presented the results of the 1976-1977 and 1977-1978 field seasons and described the collection and curation procedures that were adopted under a three-agency agreement between the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Smithsonian Institution for the purpose of protecting the meteorites from terrestrial contamination and allocating them for research. This catalog reports the results of the subsequent two seasons: 309 specimens were collected in 1978-1979, and 73 in 1979-1980. Classifications are given for all specimens weighing more than about 100 grams and also for some smaller pieces from each of the four field seasons. The catalog describes the field camps, the geodetic measurements of ice motion and ablation at the Allan Hills site, and the search for new concentrations. Current information about the character of the collections and new types of meteorites represented in them is outlined in brief articles describing Antarctic achondrites, carbonaceous chondrites and irons, and meteorite weathering and terrestrial residence times on the polar icecap. There is a bibliography of major articles on Antarctic meteorites. An Appendix lists all of the Victoria Land specimens classified as of December 1980, by numerical order for each locality and by meteorite class.