An August 1858 Witnessed Fall: Zmenj, BelarusZmenj: Rare Cubed |

In the classic blending of a howardite, the emerald colored inclusions of diogenite from the asteroidal underworld mingle with the ashen hues of of the eucrite upper class. |
It’s tough to know where to start describing the collectable rarity of a meteorite such as Zmenj.
Maybe with the country that it calls home? There are only five documented meteorites from Belarus, a country slightly smaller than Kansas but with three times as many people.
Or maybe with the classification of Zmenj? As a howardite witnessed to fall, it is part of a select group of only 20 stones world wide.

From a research article on Zmenj, this sketch map portrays the obvious: Zmenj is a busy mix of surface and subsurface rock likely bourne from a collision deep in space. |
Or possibly with the date it fell? The year 1858 is a long time ago. One hundred fifty-three years to be exact. And the 1800s hold only half the total number of witnessed howardite falls reducing the select group to a number countable on your fingers.
Or could it be it’s total known weight? At only 246 grams, there is less than one-quarter of a kilogram ever known, and that number has fallen significantly over the 15 decades that Zmenj walked this planet. So much so that less than one half of the initially reported mass is accounted for in collections according to the Catalogue of Meteorites. The Vienna Museum is listed as containing a 106g piece representing the the main mass of the solo stone of Zmenj that fell to earth. From there the size drops to 25g of Zmenj in Moscow, followed by 6.8g in New York. And that’s it. Period.
This face is much darker then the fresher looking one presented above. The light colored matrix has fallen victim to earthly attacks just as the sensual marble expressions in Rome are discolored and dissolved by our ceaseless production of new atmospheric chemicals. |

The only polished face on my slice of Zmenj is this edge. Some meteorites lose detail under a polish, but I think Zmenj is enhanced, its beauty more clearly differentiated compared to the other weathered face. |
In a 1992 research report titled “A Geochemical Study of Russian Eucrites and Howardites” by Lindstrom & Mittlefehldt discussed Zmenj, Yurtuk and Erevan. I addressed the double hammer stone nature of Yurtuk last year in April. I presented the rare cubed Zmenj here. I guess that just leaves Erevan, right?
Until next time….