La Paz (right) directing recovery of the massive Norton County, Kansas meteorite, 1948.
University of New Mexico collection
NORTON COUNTY, Kansas, USA - Witnessed Fall - 18FEB1948 --61 years ago
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After a brilliant fireball and a tremendous noise, a huge shower of stones fell over a large area of Norton County, Kansas, and Furnas County, Nebraska. This meteorite, which fell on 18 February 1948, 16:56hrs, was named Norton County, and classified as an Achondrite, Ca-poor, Aubrite, fragmental breccia. Aubrites are quite rare and this is the largest known in historical times. The main mass weighing more than 1070 kg is the center of the meteorite display at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Norton County is a very historical and scientifically valuable meteorite and almost impossible to obtain as nearly all of the material is in the University of New Mexico collection.
Catalogue of Meteorites by Grady, M. , 2000
