Part of Hall of the Universe.
Alvaro Keding/© AMNH
The Willamette Meteorite weighs 15.5 tons. This iron meteorite, which was found in Oregon, is the largest ever found in the United States and the sixth-largest in the world. The smooth surface melted during its blazing entry into the atmosphere, while the pits formed on the Earth's surface.
Iron meteorites form when large enough asteroids have had molten interiors catastrophically collide with other asteroids. These huge collisions blast out material from the molten iron core of the asteroid on orbits that reach Earth after millions of years.
The internal structure of the 15.5-ton Willamette meteorite, made of metallic iron, suggests that a complicated chain of events led to its formation:
Billions of years ago, an early planet orbiting the Sun was shattered, perhaps in a collision with another protoplanet. The fragment now known as the Willamette meteorite was probably part of the planet’s iron-nickel core.
While planets including Earth gradually formed and matured, the fragment orbited the Sun. It was hit at least twice by other planetary fragments, knocking it into a collision course with Earth.
Thousands of years ago, this meteorite, traveling some 64,000 kilometers per hour, crashed into Earth’s surface.
Over many centuries, rainwater interacting with its iron sulfide deposits produced sulfuric acid, which slowly etched and carved large cavities.
Only about 600 of the 25,000 meteorites found on Earth are made of iron. The material was created deep inside stars, which produce energy by fusing lighter elements into heavier ones - for example, hydrogen into helium. The force of nuclear fusion eventually shatters stars much more massive than our Sun, casting fused elements, such as iron, into interstellar space. Over eons, these elements collect inside clouds of gas and dust.
Within such an iron-rich interstellar cloud, our Sun formed 4.5 billion years ago, giving rise to comets, asteroids, planets and all life on Earth. So when we study the Willamette meteorite, we are also studying the chemical record of our origins and our place in the universe.
t’əmanəwas
One story passed down in our community, from Chief Wacheno, tells of a powerful medicine that came from the sky.
The old people said t’əmanəwas came from the Moon—a teaching that reminds us of the spiritual relationships we hold with the land, the sky, and all that connects them.
Our ancestors of the Clackamas Chinook, who found the meteorite, gave it the name "t’əmanəwas," meaning "spirit power." t’əmanəwas serves as the center of many ceremonies since time immemorial and is a continued source of connection for the community.
The Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde are made up of over 30 tribes and bands whose homelands span western Oregon. Our ancestors, who include the Clackamas people, were removed by military force from their lands and brought to the Grand Ronde Reservation.
Through immense resilience, we endured.
Today, our people continue to live on our ancestral lands, carrying forward traditions of gathering, hunting, fishing, carving, weaving, singing, dancing, and speaking our languages. We are a living, thriving community with deep ties to our history, our culture, and this place.