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What is the origin of stony meteorites?
Stony-irons (nearly equal mixtures of stony material and nickel-iron metal) may come from the boundary between the molten metal core and the outer silicate mantle. Stony meteorites come from a variety of different places in the solar system, including the Moon, Mars, and the asteroid belt.
What is a meteorite composition?
Meteorites have traditionally been divided into three broad categories: stony meteorites are rocks, mainly composed of silicate minerals; iron meteorites that are largely composed of metallic iron-nickel; and, stony-iron meteorites that contain large amounts of both metallic and rocky material.
What minerals are found in stony meteorites?
minerals—pyroxenes, olivines, and feldspars—dominate the stony meteorites. Metals—kamacite and taenite—along with small amounts of schreibersite and cohenite dominate iron meteorites.
How do you find the origin of a meteorite?
To determine a meteorite’s origin, researchers begin their study by identifying the rock type and then dating the meteorite. Nakhla revealed it was formed 1.3 billion years ago, much later than most other meteorites that date from the birth of the Solar system, 4.56 billion years ago.
What can we learn from stony meteorites?
The most important clues about the early stages of the solar system come from meteorites. Some are older than the formation of the Earth. They reveal how smaller bodies coalesced to form planets, and how our own planet developed after it had formed.
What is the largest meteorite ever found on Earth?
Hoba
But the largest meteorite on earth is this monster, named Hoba. It is located in Namibia, and has never been moved. Hoba is nearly twice the weight of its nearest rival El Chaco at 60 tonnes. This makes it the biggest naturally occurring piece of iron known on Earth’s surface at 6.5 square metres.
How are stony iron meteorites different from other meteorites?
Originally thought to be similar in origin and composition, the two types of stony-irons are now believed to have formed in very different ways, and are combined in a single group not so much because of their similarity to each other, but rather because they are so different from other meteorites.
What kind of rock is a meteorite made of?
If you have actually found a meteorite, it is probably some kind of chondrite. That is why I made the points for chondrites black and the ordinary chondrites BIG and black. Chondrites are most dissimilar to Earth rocks. Each black point represents the average composition of one of the chondrite groups: H, L, LL, EH, EL, CI]
How did the mesosiderite meteorite get its name?
Mesosiderites may appear to some collectors and enthusiasts as ugly ducklings when compared to their beautiful cousins, the pallasites. Mesosiderites take their name from the Greek words for “iron” and “half” and are comprised of approximately equal amounts of nickel-iron and stony components.
Why are chondrite meteorites heavier than Earth rocks?
All ordinary chondrites (OCs) contain abundant flecks of the same extraterrestrial nickel-iron that comprises iron meteorites [see Meteorwritings Episode Six – Iron Meteorites ]. The metallic content makes OCs feel heavier than earth rocks, and they will easily adhere to a strong magnet.