Abstract
The results of thermomagnetic and microprobe analyses of 37 samples from 25 different types of meteorite are analyzed with the focus on the presence of pure (nickel-free) iron in them. It is established that the metallic particles in the studied meteorites cluster in three isolated groups: (1) pure iron, (2) kamacite with mode 3–6% Ni, and (3) taenite with mode ∼50% Ni. The hiatuses in the Fe-Ni alloy compositions between these groups of magnetic grains contradict the Fe-Ni phase diagram, which predicts a continuous series of solid solutions in this system. This isolated distribution of the compositions of the metallic particles in the meteorites is reasonably accounted for by the specific properties of the melt (melts) and the processes of their crystallization and decomposition in space. It is suggested that pure iron in the meteorites could have been formed by either of two scenarios. According to the “primary,” pure iron crystallizes from the melt, and according to the “secondary” scenario, it is produced by the decomposition of the solid solution.
Published Version
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