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Iron meteorites, also called siderites or ferrous meteorites, are a type of meteorite that consist overwhelmingly of an iron–nickel alloy known as meteoric iron that usually consists of two mineral phases: kamacite and taenite.
Iron meteorites typically consist of approximately 90 to 95% iron, with the remainder comprised of nickel and trace amounts of heavy metals including iridium, gallium and sometimes gold. They are classified using two different systems: chemical composition and structure.
Iron Meteorite: A superb 1,363-gram complete iron meteorite from the Sikhote-Alin meteorite shower which occurred in a remote part of eastern Siberia in the winter of 1947. This fine specimen is described as a complete individual, as it flew through the atmosphere in one piece, without fragmenting.
Iron meteorites are thought to be samples of metallic cores and pools that formed in diverse small planetary bodies. Their great diversity offers remarkable insights into the formation of asteroids and the early history of the solar system.
Iron meteorite, any meteorite consisting mainly of iron, usually combined with small amounts of nickel. When such meteorites, often called irons, fall through the atmosphere, they may develop a thin, black crust of iron oxide that quickly weathers to rust.
There are three main types of meteorites: iron meteorites: which are almost completely made of metal; stony-iron meteorites: which have nearly equal amounts of metal and silicate crystals; stony meteorites: which mostly have silicate minerals; Each group can be split into many more classes and types depending on the minerals, structure and ...
Jun 13, 2024 · Iron meteorites are principally composed of two nickel-iron minerals, nickel-poor kamacite and nickel-rich taenite. The abundances of those two minerals strongly influence the structure of iron meteorites.
Iron meteorites. Most iron meteorites likely originated in the cores of large asteroids, and are composed almost entirely of nickel-iron alloy, which is also a primary component of the Earth's core. Even though iron meteorites account for less than 5% of observed falls, they are more easily recognized than other types of meteorites.
Apr 29, 2024 · Meteorites traditionally have been divided into three broad categories— stony meteorite s (or stones), iron meteorite s (irons), and stony iron meteorite s (stony irons)—on the basis of the proportions of rock-forming minerals and nickel-iron (also called iron-nickel) metal alloy they contain.
Although the majority of meteorites that fall to Earth are stony, most of the meteorites discovered long after they fall are irons. Irons are heavier and easier to distinguish from Earth rocks than stony meteorites.
