Information About

Octahedrite




Octahedrites are the most common class of Iron Meteorite s.
They are composed primarily of the - high nickel content, and Kamacite - low nickel content.

Due to a long cooling time in the interior of the parent Asteroid s, these alloys have crystallized into intermixed Millimeter -sized bands (from about 0.2 mm to 5 cm). When polished and acid etched the classic Widmanstätten Pattern s of intersecting lines of lamellar kamacite, are visible.

In gaps between the kamacite and taenite lamellae, a fine-granied mixture called Plessite is often found. An iron nickel phosphide, Schreibersite , is present in some nickel-iron meteorites as well as an iron nickel Cobalt Carbide , Cohenite .


CHEMICAL CLASSIFICATION

Concentrations of trace elements are used to separate the Iron Meteorite s into chemical classes, which correspond to separate Asteroid parent bodies:



MINERAL

Octahedrite is also an obsolete synonym for Anatase , one of the three known Titanium dioxide Mineral s.


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