Colomera (Granada, Spain): More than a century of an IIE iron meteorite journey

Abstract

Colomera is the Spanish meteorite (IIE) that has aroused the greatest interest among the international scientific community. Until now, the story of the find was only partially known and certain data are incorrect. The amazing journey of this meteorite has been recounted in this work. It reveals unpublished information derived from local archives, and testimonies from the descendants of the family that found the meteorite in 1913, and from the inhabitants of Colomera (Granada, Spain). We also document the story after its discovery, which culminated in a 2015 court ruling demanding the return of the largest part the mass (120.34 kg) to the heirs of the Spanish family that discovered the meteorite. Some of the material initially extracted in Spain (305 g) is currently housed in the Natural History Museum (121.3 g; London, UK). Nine kilograms of fragments remains in the United States after returning the meteorite to Spain in 1969. Of these, we have only located slightly more than 4 kg in several American institutions. Recently, 235 g has been returned to Spain: two fragments in private collections and two fragments in the Museo Geominero, Spanish Geological and Mining Institute (Spanish acronym: IGME).