Flax Creek Meteorite

 In March of 2022, Johnathan Baldwin unearthed a mass weighing 286.2 grams, on his farm near Flax Creek in Crab Orchard, Kentucky. Upon unearthing the specimen, Mr. Baldwin immediately suspected it to be a meteorite based on its magnetism, density, and physical appearance. He contacted the Kentucky Geological Survey (KGS) on March 17, 2022. A Detailed analysis, including a 2024 University of Kentucky master’s thesis by Ethan S.L. Davis, classified Flax Creek as a medium octahedrite belonging to the IAB complex.  The significance of the Flax Creek meteorite extends beyond its rarity. Due to Kentucky’s humid climate, iron meteorites rapidly oxidize and deteriorate, making well-preserved finds exceptionally uncommon. Its discovery not only contributes important new data to the global meteorite record, but also offers scientists a rare opportunity to study the composition, thermal history, and violent collisional evolution of primitive planetary bodies from the birth of the Solar ...