Description
Section of the Nantan Meteorite weighing 7.5gm
This is a section of the Nantan Meteorite weighing 7.5gm, a 92% iron alloy meteorite. This is a typical example, which contains 6.9% together with the iron. Only 5% of meteorites are of the iron alloy type, making them rare and highly sought after. This is one of the worlds most well documented Meteorites. It was witnessed as it fell to earth in 1516 in the reign of Chinese Emperor Zhengde. This meteorite was rediscovered in 1958. The 17 mile long strewn field is near what is now Nantan City, Nandan County, Guangxi, China.
There are three principle types of meteorite, the Chondrites, the Achondrites, and also the Iron meteorites.
Iron Meteorites represent only 5% of all meteorites that are found. These are made of iron-nickel alloys, including Kamacite and taenite. Rarer still are the stony-iron meteorites, these are made up of iron-nickel metal and silicate minerals. These however make up only 1% of all meteorites found.
Chondrite Meteorites get their name from chondrules, these are the small round particles of silicate material inside. These are some of the oldest known rocks in the solar system. They were formed within the solar nebular around 4.5 billion years ago. New meteorites once discovered are given a name, and identity.
Achondrites differ from chondrite meteorites because they don’t contain chondrules. These are also ancient rocks originating from various asteroids. A small number however appear to have come from the Moon and also from the planet Mars.
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