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Welcome to
MeteoriteMetal.com, a website devoted to
the study of Fe-Ni metal microstructures in
meteorites (especially stony meteorites).
It is well known that
most iron meteorites can be polished and etched
to reveal the Widmanstatten
pattern. For more than 100 years scientists have
studied iron meteorite microstructures in order to learn about the histories of these meteorites and their
parent asteroids. The most comprehensive study of iron meteorites was conducted by Vagn Buchwald
and is recorded in the three-volumes set, "Handbook of Iron
Meteorites". This monumental work presents
detailed micrographs for hundreds of iron
meteorites accompanied by insightful interpretations of
iron meteorite evolution.
The statistics of
observed meteorite falls show that stony
meteorites outnumber irons more than one-hundred
fold. As their name suggests, stony meteorites
are composed primarily of silicate minerals but
they also contain variable quantities of Fe-Ni
metal. In stones, metal occurs as small (often
sub-millimeter) particles peppered throughout the
silicate
matrix. Few people
realize that this metal, like that of iron
meteorites, can be polished and etched to reveal
complex and revealing microstructures. This oversight is
unfortunate, as the metal microstructures
are sensitive indicators of thermal
and shock processing at temperatures below
typical silicate closure temperatures.
The main
objective of this website is to share
photomicrographs of meteoritic metal obtained by
means of reflected light microscopy. A
related objective is to provide a simple
introduction to the science of interpreting
meteorite metal microstructures.
"Is it reasonable to
think that one can see, by looking in a
microscope, what is going on in another planet?"
The Father, August Strindberg
(1887).
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