meteorite
Iron Meteorite
Iron-Nickel Meteorite (Kamacite and Taenite)
Hardness: 4-5 on Mohs scale; Color: Dark brown, black, or metallic gray with possible rust-colored weathering; Luster: Metallic to sub-metallic on fresh surfaces, dull when weathered; Crystal Structure: Octahedrite or hexahedrite with Widmanstätten patterns when etched;…
- Hardness
- 4-5 on Mohs scale
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Physical properties
Hardness: 4-5 on Mohs scale; Color: Dark brown, black, or metallic gray with possible rust-colored weathering; Luster: Metallic to sub-metallic on fresh surfaces, dull when weathered; Crystal Structure: Octahedrite or hexahedrite with Widmanstätten patterns when etched; Specific Gravity: High density (7.8 to 8.0 g/cm³), noticeably heavy for its size.
Formation & geological history
Formed in the cores of differentiated planetesimals in the early solar system over 4.5 billion years ago, eventually traveling through space and impacting Earth.
Uses & applications
Prized by scientific researchers for understanding planetary formation and highly sought after by meteorite collectors for display and study.
Geological facts
Iron meteorites represent the metallic cores of shattered asteroids. Because of their high iron-nickel content, they survive the fiery passage through Earth's atmosphere much better than stony meteorites.
Field identification & locations
Key identifiers include a dense, heavy feel for its size, a dark fusion crust, often irregular or regmaglypted (thumbprinted) surfaces, and a strong attraction to a magnet. Found worldwide in designated strewn fields.
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Impactite (Shatter Cone texture)
metamorphic
Iron Meteorite
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igneous
Meteorite
Chondrite / Iron-Nickel Meteorite fragment
meteorite
Pallasite Meteorite
Pallasite (Stony-iron meteorite; Fe-Ni alloy with (Mg,Fe)2SiO4 olivine)
Mineral/Extraterrestrial Rock
Slag (Anthropogenic Glass/Iron byproduct)
Ferro-silicate Slag
Anthropogenic (Man-made)