The Seymchan meteorite, found in the Magadan Oblast of Russia in 1967, has a total mass of 272.3 kg, while a further 51 kg fragment was recovered the following year. It belongs to the pallasites, a class of very rare meteorites that represent less than 1% of all those found on our planet to date. These particular celestial bodies permit close observation of the transition zone between the lower mantle and the core of large asteroids that have shattered upon collision. The specimen on display, of remarkable beauty, is made up of transparent, shiny yellowish crystals of the mineral olivine, a magnesium iron silicate and the primary component of the Earth’s mantle, immersed in a metallic-looking rock made up of iron-nickel alloys.
