that of Imilac, which may have fallen about 1820, I will now refer to Shepard's account in 1850 of three new North American meteorites, with observations upon the general distribution of such bodies, and on the falling of meteorites over a limited zone or area of the earth's surface. He says:—"Out of the fourteen depositions of meteoric matter on the American continent within the last few years, thirteen have taken place between 33° and 44° N.; one only at Maceio, in Brazil, south of the Equator,—a distribution exceedingly unequal." He however concludes "that there is a zone or region over which meteoric falls are more frequent than elsewhere."
Run the eye easterly from the meteoric region of Atacama, on the west coast of South America, for ten degrees of longitude, and now we come upon that extraordinary deposit of solid meteoric iron of Otumpa[1] (about thirteen tons), of which there is so magnificent a specimen in the British Museum. Near Bahia, in Brazil, is another mass of iron of 14,000 lbs.
On Arrowsmith's old map of South America, at a distance of twenty- three geographical miles S.S.W. of the city of Tucuman, appears the word "Meteores;" does this mean that meteoric iron has been found there? Antofogasta is about 2° W.N.W. of the "Meteores," and I have reason to believe that meteoric iron exists about there.
In the map to Wilcocke's 'Buenos Ayres,' at the junction of the Bermejo and Paraguay rivers are the "Montes de Hierro;" monte may mean mountain or forest. This locality is about 2° N.E. of Otumpa, and the iron spoken of here may be meteoric.
In the 'Coleccion de Memorias Cientificas, etc., por M. E. de Rivero y Ustariz' (Brussels, 1857), there are details and analyses of several masses of meteoric iron found in the Cordillera of the Andes (of Bogotá).
My impression is, that when this subject of meteoric zones is worked out, more falls will have to be recorded in South America than given by Shepard.
PROCEEDINGS OF GEOLOGICAL SOCIETIES.
Geological Society of London.—January 22, 1862.—Sir R. I. Murchison, V.P.G.S., in the chair. The following communications were read:—
1. "On some Flint Arrow-heads (?) from near Baggy Point, North Devon." By N. Whitley, Esq., communicated by J. S. Enys, Esq., F.G.S. Immediately beneath the surface-soil above the "raised beaches" of North Devon and Cornwall, the author has observed broken flints; and even
- ↑ It is not known when the Otumpa iron fell. It was visited by Celis and Cerviño in 1783. The length of it is 314 yards, 2 yards in width, 4 feet 6 inches deep, and contains 934 cubic yards. This appears to be independent of smaller pieces. It is called by the natives the Masa de fierro, or mass of iron; the meteorite of the Chaco: of the Chaco Gualamba. It was discovered by people from Santiago del Estero on one of their expeditions to "malear," or hunt for honey and wax. It is in about 27° 43′ S., 2° 40′ W. of Buenos Ayres.
