Murchison - CM2 Carbonaceous Chondrite - Fragment - 1.26g - South Australia

Murchison is one of the most scientifically significant Carbonaceous Chondrite meteorites ever recovered, classified as a CM2 Carbonaceous Chondrite. It fell on 28 September 1969 near the town of Murchison in Victoria, Australia, following a widely witnessed fireball and a series of audible detonations. Approximately 100 kilograms of material were recovered, much of it collected shortly after the fall, helping preserve its delicate composition. Formed from primitive asteroid material over 4.5 billion years ago, Murchison has become one of the most extensively studied meteorites in the world, particularly for its remarkable abundance of organic compounds.

Murchison specimens typically display a dark grey to black interior with a fine-grained, carbon-rich matrix containing small chondrules and mineral inclusions. As a CM2 Carbonaceous Chondrite, it has undergone extensive aqueous alteration on its parent body, resulting in the formation of water-bearing minerals. Its most remarkable characteristic is its complex organic chemistry, including a diverse range of amino acids and other carbon-based molecules. These compounds are of particular scientific interest because they provide evidence that some of the chemical building blocks associated with life were present in the early solar system, long before life emerged on Earth.

For collectors, Murchison holds exceptional appeal due to its documented witnessed fall, Australian provenance, and extraordinary scientific importance. Its contribution to research into prebiotic chemistry and the origins of organic molecules has established it as one of the most iconic Carbonaceous Chondrites. Each specimen represents genuine primitive solar system material with a direct connection to some of the most fundamental questions surrounding planetary formation and the origins of life.