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April 2008
Now Meteorites! Click Here

September 18, 2007
New additions!
New minerals added. See our Minerals section clicking here »

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Pallasites

The pallasites consist of olivine crystals that may be as large as 1 cm across embedded in a Fe-Ni alloy matrix. Esthetically, pallasites are easily the most beautiful meteorites, especially when cut and polished. When etched, the metal phase may exhibit a Widmanstatten pattern (see "Irons" below). Pallasites are thought to have formed at the core-mantle boundary within a differentiated asteroid; the iron would be derived from the asteroid's core, while the olivine crystals would come from the base of its mantle.

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