THE NEEDLES (CALIFORNIA) IRON METEORITE

The Needles fine octahedrite, which weighs 45.3 kg, was found in 1962 in the Turtle Mountains, about 50 km SSW of Needles, California. It contains 10.3% Ni, 77 ppm Ga, 93 ppm Ge and 4.8 ppm Ir, and is a member of chemical group II D. It is rather similar to the Wallapai, Arizona, meteorite, and may possibly be a transported mass from this multiple fall. The compositional evidence slightly favors the interpretation that Needles is a distinct fall.     

JERSLEV,THE FIRST IRON METEORITE FROM DENMARK

Jerslev is a new iron meteorite of 40 kg, found 1976 on the island of Sjaelland, Denmark. The coordinates are 55°36'N, 11°13'E, and the altitude 20 m. It was excavated from moraine deposits from a depth of about 0.5 m. Jerslev is a coarsest octahedrite of group IIB, related to Mount Joy and Sikhote-Alin. It shows intergranular corrosion from a long exposure to terrestrial groundwater rich in chlorides.     

MOSSBAUER SPECTRA FOR IRON BEARING PHASES IN THE METEORITE TOLUCA

Room temperature Mossbauer spectra have been obtained for several iron bearing phases in the octahedrite Toluca. The spectrum for kamacite contains six lines, as expected for a ferromagnetic material. That for taenite contains a strong six-line pattern, closely similar to that for kamacite, plus a weak singlet. The former is due to the ferromagnetic form of taenite, which predominates, and the latter to the non-equilibrium paramagnetic form. The spectra for troilite, schreibersite and cohenite are similar to those for terrestrial troilite, synthetic schreibersite and cementite, respectively. With some troilite samples, a weak doublet due to some non-magnetic phase was obtained. This was found to match the doublet reported for terrestrial pyrite, but the results are not such as to make a positive identification possible. This exploratory study of the Mossbauer spectra of some of the principal phases found in iron-nickel meteorites suggests that the main value of Mossbauer spectroscopy in the study of meteorites lies in its ability to detect relatively small amounts of paramagnetic phases such as the paramagnetic form of taenite.     

COMPOSITION AND ORIGIN OF THE UNUSUAL OKTIBBEHA COUNTY IRON METEORITE

We have analyzed Oktibbeha County, the most Ni-rich iron meteorite, for Ni, Co, Cu, Ga, Ge, As, Sb, Ir, and Au. Cu and Sb are higher than in any other iron, but other trace elements are within the ranges typically found in iron meteorites. Extrapolation of trace element trends in group IAB indicates that Oktibbeha County is a member of this group. This sheds light on the origin of groups IAB and IIICD, which are thought to be derived from impact melts on parent bodies of chondritic composition. Lafayette (iron), another sample reported in the literature to have a similarly high Ni content, is probably a pseudometeorite.     

MORPHOLOGIES OF IRON CRYSTALS FROM THE HAVERÖ METEORITE

Studies of unpolished chips of the Haverö meteorite using the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the electron microprobe (EMP), show two types of metallic iron particles: A, discrete convex globules of 5 to 50 microns made up of lamellae and interlocked grains, evenly interspersed among the matrix; B, flattened contorted crystals, less than one micron, lining the iron globules and cavities in the silicates or forming rounded spiny bodies. This second type of iron is interpreted, according to the current theory, as resulting from the in situ reduction of iron-magnesium silicates     

MINERALOGY OF THE BOCAIUVA IRON METEORITE: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

The Bocaiuva iron contains 10 to 15% by volume of silicate inclusions which are surrounded by kamacite (6.5 wt % Ni). The metal shows a Widmanstätten pattern in metal areas devoid of silicates; taenite evolved in plessite fields. The silicate inclusions occur as nodules, and as irregular or chain-like aggregates in which olivine may be rounded or faceted. The magnesian silicates (forsterite, enstatite, diopside) are similar in composition to those of the group IAB irons, whereas the interstitial plagioclase is much more calcic (An 50) than that usually found. Iron sulfide occurs as pyrrhotite and contains 1–2 wt% Cu. Chromite and euhedral magnetite are accessory phases always associated with pyrrhotite. Some patches of pyrrhotite enclose rounded chromite and small plagioclase crystals displaying compositions different from those of the ground mass of the inclusions. Schreibersite shows a compositional variability. This preliminary study underlines the unusual nature of Ms iron and raises several questions concerning the genetic relations between silicates, sulfide and metal, and the thermal history of the whole material.     

FOUR NEW IRON METEORITE FINDS

Four new irons are described; Buenaventura (IIIB) from Chihuahua, Mexico: mass 114 kg; Denver City (anomalous) from Texas, USA: mass 26.1 kg; Kinsella (IIIB) from Alberta, Canada: mass 3.7 kg; and Tacoma (IA) from Washington, USA: mass 17 g. Denver City is unique, i.e., not related to any other known iron. Tacoma is the smallest iron meteorite recorded. All were purchased for the UCLA collection following a publicity drive for new meteorites     

POTENTIOSTATIC STUDY OF IRON METEORITE CORROSION

A potentiostat was used to study the electrolytic corrosion of iron meteorites in a neutral solution. Low current densities were chosen so that the observed potentials would more closely approximate the theoretical Nernst values. Iron, nickel, and cobalt ions, the products of corrosion, were soluble in the electrolyte solution, and were determined after each electrolysis by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Kamacite and taenite dissolved as individual phases, with kamacite dissolving preferentially. Cobalt dissolved along with iron and nickel from each phase. There is a direct relationship between nickel content and the potential at which a meteorite first starts to dissolve; the higher the nickel content, the more resistant the meteorite is to corrosion. None of the six meteorites observed started to dissolve at a lower potential than pure iron, nor at a higher potential than pure nickel     

THE MAGNETIC INVESTIGATION OF THE SIKHOTE-ALIN IRON METEORITE SHOWER AT THE SITE OF FALL

Individual and splinter specimens of the iron meteorite shower of Sikhote-Alin and rock samples from impact craters have been studied magnetically. The results indicate that: 1) Histograms for the distribution of natural remanent magnetization J_n of individual and splinter specimens are characterized by a high correlation coefficient (0.82 ± 0.06). For the splinter specimens, a trend to an increase in number of specimens with anomalously high J_n values is observed; 2) the Earth's magnetic field did not greatly affect the magnetic properties of this iron meteorite; and 3) for rock samples taken from different craters, there was found to be a relation between the natural remanent magnetization and the energy conditions of the crater formation.     

COMPLEX SHOCK-INDUCED Fe-Ni-S-Cr-C MELTS IN THE HAIG (IIIA) IRON METEORITE

The Haig (IIIA) iron meteorite material (BM 1968,280) in the Collection of the British Museum (Natural History) displays pre-terrestrial shear deformation which transects a small troilite-daubréelite-cohenite nodule. Five globular areas (< 1 mm) with dendritic structures indicating rapid solidification from melts occur within and around the larger part of the transected nodule. All shock deformation structures and shock-heating effects exhibited by Haig. are of pre-terrestrial origin and at least four successive alterations to the original structure are evident. Partial bulk analyses of the melt globules indicate complex mixtures of approximately 55 wt % troilite, 24 wt % metal, 14 wt % daubréelite and 7 wt % cohenite. It is suggested that a compressive environment maintained the melts as discrete pools of liquid. The diameters of the globules (< 0.5 mm) and spacing of the dendrite arms (< 1 μm) indicate solidification at > 10⁶ °C sec^?1 which is the fastest cooling rate yet recorded in meteorites.     

BOCAIUVA—A SILICATE-INCLUSION BEARING IRON METEORITE RELATED TO THE EAGLE-STATION PALLASITES

Bocaiuva is a unique meteorite consisting of major metal having a high Ge/Ga ratio and minor (～ 50 mg/g) silicates. The silicates are generally chondritic and consist of major olivine (Fa.7.7) and orthopyroxene (Fs7.6) and minor plagioclase (Ab49, An49) and clinopyroxene (Fs4.5, Wo42). The low alkali content of the silicates is the only property inconsistent with a chondritic composition. Based on metal composition Bocaiuva seems distantly related to certain iron meteorites having similar Ge contents and similar Ge/Ga ratios, but detailed comparison with six such irons shows none to be closely related to Bocaiuva. Perhaps most closely related is Cold Bay, a member of the Eagle-Station trio of pallasites, but its composition is too different to suggest formation on the same parent body. Oxygen-isotope data show that Bocaiuva silicates are closely related to those in the Eagle-Station pallasites and to the CO and CV chondrites. The composition and texture of the Bocaiuva metal-silicate assembly indicate mixing in an impact event. We suggest that the Eagle-Station pallasites were also formed by impact heating rather than by a long-lived internal heat source.     

NEUTRON DIFFRACTION STUDY OF MUNGINDI IRON NICKEL METEORITE

The Mungindi Iron Nickel Meteorite was investigated by neutron diffraction. All layers of the γ-phase (separated from each other by α-phase bars) form, from the crystallographic point of view, the same, big single crystal. The perfection of this single crystal is very high. In the kamacite phase each individual “single crystal” is broken into a group of crystals.     

THE VERKHNE DNIEPROVSK IRON METEORITE SPECIMENS IN THE VIENNA COLLECTION AND THE CONFUSION OF VERKHNE DNIEPROVSK WITH AUGUSTINOVKA

It is now a hundred years since a small amount of meteoritic material labelled Verkhne Dnieprovsk was first described. Since then the material has been controversial, due to the corroded character and the very limited amount of material known. Authentic samples, totalling 8 g, have been identified in the Vienna collection, which confirm that Verkhne Dnieprovsk is a unique meteorite, both in its composition, belonging to group II E, and in its heavily shocked and distorted structure. The shock-produced structures include micromelts with a phosphorus gradient, suggesting that the melts originated in situ from mm-sized schreibersite crystals. Unfortunately, no additional information as to location and circumstances of find was discovered at this late date. Further work will probably require field work and interviews on the site and/or studies of Russian archives.     

THE GUJARGAON METEORITE

The Gujargaon meteorite was observed to fall on a cotton field at Gujargaon in Dewas district, Madhya Pradesh, India, on the afternoon of the 4th of September, 1982. It is an oriented stone with a saucer-shaped front and regmaglypted rear with surfaces of more than one generation, and is entirely covered by fusion crust. Gujargaon is an H5 chondrite with rare chondrules integrated with the matrix. Intense fracturing with fractures filled by glassy veins, and undulose extinction and deformation-twin lamellae in troilite bear evidences of shock. Compared to average H-group chondrites Gujargaon appears to have higher contents of SiO₂and normative pyroxene.     

RICA AVENTURA: A NEW IRON METEORITE FROM CHILE

Rica Aventura, a group IVA fine octahedrite, was found in 1910 near the now abandoned village of Rica Aventura, Chile (69° 37′W, 21° 59′S). Based on chemical evidence it appears to be a unique new find.     

THE LANDES METEORITE

The Landes silicate-bearing octahedrite is a new find from Grant County, West Virginia. Minerals and their compositions are very similar to those in Odessa-type silicate inclusions. The angular nature of the inclusions, recrystallization textures, and mineral compositions indicate a “xenolithic” origin for the inclusions.     

THE HEDJAZ METEORITE

The Hedjaz meteorite has been studied in detail and on a chemical basis, with 22.1% total Fe, 9% metallic Fe, 1.3% Ni and constant olivine composition (Fa_23–24), can be classified as an L-group chondrite. However, petrographically Hedjaz is quite hoterogeneous and contains features characteristic of types 3, 4, 5, and 6, observations that refute a petrographic type classification. Indeed, Hedjaz, as a complex breccia, exhibits no evidence of metamorphic equilibration after accretion and supports the contention that type 4 (also 5 and 6) chondrites are not derivatives of type 3 material, and that types 5 and 6 are not necessarily more “metamorphosed,” only better crystallized.     

A NEW SPECIMEN OF THE MOUNT DOOLING IRON METEORITE FROM MOUNT MANNING,WESTERN AUSTRALIA

A 701 kg iron meteorite has recently been discovered near the Mount Manning Range in Western Australia. The meteorite has a fan-shaped or delta wing configuration, one side being smooth and slightly concave with a well-defined fusion crust, whilst the other side is rough, convex and possesses numerous regmaglypts. It is probable that the meteorite pentrated much of the earth's atmosphere in an aerodynamically stable orientation, typical of the stalled attitude of delta wing aircraft. The meteorite is a member of Chemical Group 1C. A comparison of the chemical composition, surface features, microstructure and location of this meteorite with the Mount Dooling meteorite confirms that the find is a larger specimen of Mount Dooling. It is possible that other fragments of the Mount Dooling meteorite may be found in the Mount Manning Range region.