IRON METEORITES OF GROUP IA AND IIA: STUDY OF PHOSPHIDE MORPHOLOGY ENHANCED BY DRY CI2 ETCHING

A method is described for etching iron meteorites by heating at 350 °C in dry chlorine gas. Iron is volatilized from low-nickel iron phases, e.g. kamacite, and the residual non-volatile chlorides are removed by solution. The study of the morphological character of the exposed phosphides on 16 specimens from Group IA and IIA showed no distinctive habit restricted to either group.