Institute of Meteoritics, University of New Mexico

The first institute devoted to meteorites, founded in 1944, and home of the tonne-sized Norton County aubrite.

Key facts

Where

Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States

Kind

University collection

Visiting

Public gallery or display at a university

The Institute of Meteoritics at the University of New Mexico was founded in 1944 by the astronomer Lincoln LaPaz. It was the first institute anywhere devoted entirely to meteorites, and LaPaz pioneered the practice of tracking fireballs from witness reports to find the meteorites they dropped.

Its largest specimen is the main mass of Norton County, which fell on the border of Kansas and Nebraska on 18 February 1948. The main stone, of about 1,070 kilograms, was located by LaPaz's team and is the largest achondrite ever seen to fall. Norton County is an aubrite, a pale, almost iron-free rock made mostly of the mineral enstatite. The institute also does research on lunar and Martian meteorites and on samples returned by space missions.

Highlights

• Norton County main mass, about 1,070 kg Aubrite

Related pages

Opening times, what is on display and access to research collections change over time, so check with the institution before you visit.