On 2016-06-03 09:42, Joerg Arndt wrote:

I learned about the use of iron from meteorites by the Eskimos in the American Museum of Natural History (New York): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_York_meteorite Foto of the display in the Museum here: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_York_%28Meteorit%29

Much to my dismay, I found that there appears to be a lack of funding for the Museum (prior visit was 14 years ealier). Still, there are many truly awesome exhibits.

Best regards, jj

P.S.: terrestial elementary iron also exists. It is created essentially when magma says "hi" to coal. I actually own a small sample, it was expensive and looks positively boring.

P.P.S.: The Sterling Hill Mining Museum (NJ, _highly_ recommended (*)) has 2 big meteorites (one is 50 kg or so) but didn't know it. I told them (they were surprised) and asked about the origin, apparently that information has been lost. (*) if fluorescence means anything to you: world class!

* Henry Baker <hbaker1@pipeline.com> [Jun 03. 2016 08:45]:

...

FYI -- I thought this was kind of cool. So people started using iron prior to figuring out how to make it themselves. [...]

I've seen the claim that the (justifiably) xenophobic Sentinelese are Stone Age but for the iron they harvest from a shipwreck. And perhaps from the belongings of outsiders they kill.