The Compositioin of the Belly River, Bluff

This meteorite was found in the winter of 1943-1944 as a result of a forced landing of a Royal Canadian Air Force airplane on the eastern side of and near the Belly River in southern Alberta, Canada. LaPaz (1953) published a preliminary report and placed the location as approximately in latitude 490 30 ' N., longitude 1 130 00 ' W. The meteorite was discovered by Boyd Wettlaufer while he was making a reconnaissance about the downed plane. It was a 7.9-kilogram stone. We received a piece by exchange with the Geological Survey of Canada and were interested to observe the remarkable veining described by LaPaz. We therefore decided to investigate its structure and composition further. MINERALOGICAL COMPOSITION AND STRUCTURE The principal minerals are olivine, pyroxene, and nickel-iron. The usual amount of troilite is present, as well as a small amount of plagioclase. Accessory minerals include chromite and probably a phosphate mineral (apatite or merrillite, or both). Notes on the silicates follow