Chinga iron meteorite: history of its findings and research

The first 30 individual fragments of the meteorite were found scattered along the Chinga River in Tuva (region on the border area of southern Siberia and Mongolia) in 1909–1912 by gold prospectors. The pieces found weighed from 85 g to 20.5 kg, the total mass was approximately 80 kg. Initially the samples were studied by O.O. Backlund and V.G. Khlopin [2], who, however, classified the meteorite specimens as ‘native nickel containing iron’ of terrestrial origin. Further researches established the meteorite nature of Chinga. Due to its structure Chinga meteorite was classified as ataxite with high content of nickel (16.7%). According to the content of nickel and trace elements the meteorite can be referred to the IVВ an geochemical group. The microtexture of the Chinga meteorite is plessite-like kamacite-taenite intergrowth with separate thin needles of kamacite and very rare crystals of troilite, daubreelite and schreibersite. In 2007 a statue depicting what could be a Buddhist deity was offered for sale at auction. The statue is claimed to have been acquired by the 1938-1939 German expedition to Tibet. The electron microprobe analysis showed that the statue was chiseled from a fragment of the Chinga meteorite weighing over 10 kg. The exact dating of the carving and the character portrayed cannot be established accurately.