catalogue of western australian meteorite collections

METEORITE CRATERS
Two possible meteorite craters were reported by E. S. Simpson (1938).
The first, the Dalgaranga crater, is certainly associated with meteorite fragments,
but the crater described from east ofPikaring Rock near Quairading and supposed
tp be associated with the Youndegin-Mount Stirling-Mooranoppin-Quairading
multiple fall of iron meteorites has subsequently, in February, 1963, been investigated
by G. J. H. McCall and J. B. J. Jeppe using a magnetometer. Geological
and geophysical evidence then obtained suggested that this small crater, whatever
its origin, has no relation to the nearby occurrence of iron meteorites, and is
not an impact crater. The Dalgaranga crater has later been investigated by
Nininger and Huss (1960) and visited by McCall alid E. P. Henderson, but even
,so would justify further detailed investigation, including petrographic study of
the bed rock and systematic trenching of the interior fill.
DAI;GARANGA CRATER
Latitude 27° 43' S., longitude 117° 15' E. Discovered in 1923 by G. E. P.
,Wellard, who noted metallic fragments associated with it, it was first recorded ­
by Simpson who only described a small, twisted octahedrite fragment. H. H.
Nininger and G. 1. Huss visited the crater in 1960 and recorded more details
of the actual form of the crater and recovered not only iron fragments but silicate
_bearing fragments, plotting their distribution. The crater is 70' in diameter and
has a maximum depth of about 10'. It is situated exactly on the junction of
discontinuous exposure of granite and laterite capping granite. Nininger and
Huss recovered 207 specimens weighing 1,098 g. Most were octahedrite speci.
mens but 25 fragments contained enough silicate to be classified as stony-iron
and two weathered specimens were regarded as stones. Some weathered fragments
have shale ball form (see entries under meteorites, pp. 28-30 for details
of these meteorite recoveries). Nininger assesses the total mass as 20,000­
-30,000 kg (10-20 tons), arid suggested that it consisted of 90 % of silicate, sulphide
-and carbon and