Meteoric iron

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Meteoric iron (native iron)
TolucaMeteorite.jpg
Widmanstätten pattern on a 500g endcut from the Toluca iron meteorite
General
CategoryNative element mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)		Fe and Ni in different ratios
Space group Different structures
Identification
Luster Metallic
Diaphaneity Opaque

Meteoric iron, sometimes meteoritic iron, [1] is a native metal and early-universe protoplanetary-disk remnant found in meteorites and made from the elements iron and nickel, mainly in the form of the mineral phases kamacite and taenite. Meteoric iron makes up the bulk of iron meteorites but is also found in other meteorites. Apart from minor amounts of telluric iron, meteoric iron is the only naturally occurring native metal of the element iron (in metallic form rather than in an ore) on the Earth's surface. [2]

Contents

Mineralogy

The bulk of meteoric iron consists of taenite and kamacite. Taenite is a face-centered cubic and kamacite a body-centered cubic iron-nickel alloy.

Meteoric iron can be distinguished from telluric iron by its microstructure and perhaps by its chemical composition also, since meteoritic iron contains more nickel and less carbon. [2]

Trace amounts of gallium and germanium in meteoric iron can be used to distinguish different meteorite types. The meteoric iron in stony iron meteorites is identical to the "gallium-germanium group" of the iron meteorites. [3]

Overview over meteoric iron mineral phases
MineralFormulaNickel (Mass-% Ni)Crystal structureNotes & references
Antitaenite γLow Spin-(Ni,Fe)20–40face centered cubicOnly approved as a variety of taenite by the IMA
Kamacite α-(Fe,Ni); Fe0+0.9Ni0.15–10body centered cubicSame structure as ferrite
Taenite γ-(Ni,Fe)20–65face centered cubicSame structure as austenite
Tetrataenite (FeNi)48–57tetragonal [4]

Structures

Meteoric iron forms a few different structures that can be seen by etching or in thin sections of meteorites. The Widmanstätten pattern forms when meteoric iron cools and kamacite is exsolved from taenite in the form of lamellas. [5] Plessite is a more fine-grained intergrowth of the two minerals in between the lamella of the Widmanstätten pattern. [6] Neumann lines are fine lines running through kamacite crystals that form through impact-related deformation. [7]

Cultural and historical usage

A lance made from a narwhal tusk with an iron head made from the Cape York meteorite. Meteorite iron harpoon 2023.JPG
A lance made from a narwhal tusk with an iron head made from the Cape York meteorite.

Before the advent of iron smelting, meteoric iron was the only source of iron metal apart from minor amounts of telluric iron. Meteoric iron was already used before the beginning of the Iron Age to make cultural objects, tools and weapons. [8]

Bronze Age

Iron in hieroglyphs
Meteoric ironMeteoric ironMeteoric ironMeteoric iron
Meteoric iron
Meteoric iron

bjꜣ-n-p.t
literally "metal of the sky"

Many examples of iron working from the Bronze Age have been confirmed to be meteoritic in origin. [9]

The Americas

Africa

Asia

Even after the invention of smelting, meteoric iron was sometimes used where this technology was not available or metal was scarce. A piece of the Cranbourne meteorite was made into a horseshoe around 1854. [22]

Today meteoritic iron is used in niche jewellery and knife production, but most of it is used for research, educational or collecting purposes.

Atmospheric phenomena

Meteoric iron also has an effect on the Earth's atmosphere. When meteorites descend through the atmosphere, outer parts are ablated. Meteoric ablation is the source of many elements in the upper atmosphere. When meteoric iron is ablated, it forms a free iron atom that can react with ozone (O3) to form FeO. This FeO may be the source of the orange spectrographic bands in the spectrum of the upper atmosphere. [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kamacite</span> Alloy of iron and nickel found in meteorites

Kamacite is an alloy of iron and nickel, which is found on Earth only in meteorites. According to the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) it is considered a proper nickel-rich variety of the mineral native iron. The proportion iron:nickel is between 90%:10% and 95%:5%; small quantities of other elements, such as cobalt or carbon may also be present. The mineral has a metallic luster, is gray and has no clear cleavage although its crystal structure is isometric-hexoctahedral. Its density is about 8 g/cm3 and its hardness is 4 on the Mohs scale. It is also sometimes called balkeneisen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octahedrite</span> Structural class of iron meteorites

Octahedrites are the most common structural class of iron meteorites. The structures occur because the meteoric iron has a certain nickel concentration that leads to the exsolution of kamacite out of taenite while cooling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Widmanstätten pattern</span> Crystal patterns found in some meteorites

Widmanstätten patterns, also known as Thomson structures, are figures of long phases of nickel–iron, found in the octahedrite shapes of iron meteorite crystals and some pallasites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ataxite</span> Structural class of iron meteorites

Ataxites are a structural class of iron meteorites with a high nickel content and show no Widmanstätten patterns upon etching.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hexahedrite</span>

Hexahedrites are a structural class of iron meteorite. They are composed almost exclusively of the nickel–iron alloy kamacite and are lower in nickel content than the octahedrites. The nickel concentration in hexahedrites is always below 5.8% and only rarely below 5.3%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taenite</span> Alloy of iron and nickel found in meteorites

Taenite is a mineral found naturally on Earth mostly in iron meteorites. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, with a chemical formula of Fe,Ni and nickel proportions of 20% up to 65%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron meteorite</span> Meteorite composed of iron-nickel alloy called meteoric iron

Iron meteorites, also called siderites or ferrous meteorites, are a type of meteorite that consist overwhelmingly of an iron–nickel alloy known as meteoric iron that usually consists of two mineral phases: kamacite and taenite. Most iron meteorites originate from cores of planetesimals, with the exception of the IIE iron meteorite group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron–nickel alloy</span> Group of alloys

An iron–nickel alloy or nickel–iron alloy, abbreviated FeNi or NiFe, is a group of alloys consisting primarily of the elements nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe). It is the main constituent of the "iron" planetary cores and iron meteorites. In chemistry, the acronym NiFe refers to an iron–nickel catalyst or component involved in various chemical reactions, or the reactions themselves; in geology, it refers to the main constituents of telluric planetary cores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Native metal</span> Form of metal

A native metal is any metal that is found pure in its metallic form in nature. Metals that can be found as native deposits singly or in alloys include antimony, arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, indium, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, niobium, rhenium, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, and zinc, as well as the gold group and the platinum group. Among the alloys found in native state have been brass, bronze, pewter, German silver, osmiridium, electrum, white gold, silver-mercury amalgam, and gold-mercury amalgam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mbosi meteorite</span> Meteorite found in Tanzania

Mbosi is an ungrouped iron meteorite found in Tanzania. It is one of the world's largest meteorites, variously estimated as the fourth-largest to the eighth-largest, it is located near the city of Mbeya in Tanzania's southern highlands. The meteorite is 3 metres (9.8 ft) long, 1 metre high, and weighs an estimated 16 metric tons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telluric iron</span> Iron found naturally on Earth that is neither in an ore nor from a meteorite

Telluric iron, also called native iron, is iron that originated on Earth, and is found in a metallic form rather than as an ore. Telluric iron is extremely rare, with only one known major deposit in the world, located in Greenland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chinga meteorite</span> Meteorite found in Russia

The Chinga meteorite is an iron meteorite. It is structurally an ataxite with very rare kamacite lamella. The meteoric iron is a part of the lamella taenite. The total chemical composition is 82.8% iron, 16.6% nickel, and the rest mostly cobalt and phosphorus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dronino meteorite</span> Iron meteorite found in Russia

The Dronino meteorite is a 40-kilogram (88 lb) iron meteorite that was found in the Ryazan Oblast of Russia in July 2000. It is classified as an ataxite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IAB meteorite</span> Group of iron meteorites

IAB meteorites are a group of iron meteorites according to their overall composition and a group of primitive achondrites because of silicate inclusions that show a strong affinity to winonaites and chondrites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IVB meteorite</span> Type of iron meteorite

IVB meteorites are a group of ataxite iron meteorites classified as achondrites. The IVB group has the most extreme chemical compositions of all iron meteorites, meaning that examples of the group are depleted in volatile elements and enriched in refractory elements compared to other iron meteorites.

The Itqiy meteorite is an enstatite-rich stony-iron meteorite. It is classified as an enstatite chondrite of the EH group that was nearly melted and is therefore very unusual for that group. Other classifications have been proposed and are an ongoing scientific debate.

IIG meteorites are a group of iron meteorites. The group currently has six members. They are hexahedrites with large amounts of schreibersite. The meteoric iron is composed of kamacite.

This is a glossary of terms used in meteoritics, the science of meteorites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IIAB meteorites</span> Type of iron meteorite

IIAB meteorites are a group of iron meteorites. Their structural classification ranges from hexahedrites to octahedrites. IIABs have the lowest concentration of nickel of all iron meteorite groups. Most iron meteorites are derived from the metallic planetary cores of their respective parent bodies, but in the case of the IIABs the metallic magma separated to form not only this meteorite group but also the IIG group.

Tutankhamun's meteoric iron dagger, also known as Tutankhamun's iron dagger and King Tut's dagger, is an iron-bladed dagger from the tomb of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun. As the blade composition and homogeneity closely correlate with meteorite composition and homogeneity, the material for the blade is determined to have originated by way of a meteoritic landing. The dagger is currently displayed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

References

  1. ↑ Rehren, Thilo; Belgya, Tamás; Jambon, Albert; Káli, György; Kasztovszky, Zsolt; Kis, Zoltán; Kovács, Imre; Maróti, Boglárka; Martinón-Torres, Marcos; Miniaci, Gianluca; Pigott, Vincent C.; Radivojević, Miljana; Rosta, László; Szentmiklósi, László; Szőkefalvi-Nagy, Zoltán (2013). "5,000 years old Egyptian iron beads made from hammered meteoritic iron" (PDF). Journal of Archaeological Science. 40 (12): 4785–4792. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2013.06.002 .
  2. 1 2 Fleming, Stuart J.; Schenck, Helen R. (1989). History of Technology: The Role of Metals. UPenn Museum of Archaeology. p. 67. ISBN   978-0-924171-95-6.
  3. ↑ Lovering, John F.; Nichiporuk, Walter; Chodos, Arthur; Brown, Harrison (31 December 1956). "The distribution of gallium, germanium, cobalt, chromium, and copper in iron and stony-iron meteorites in relation to nickel content and structure". Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta. 11 (4): 263–278. Bibcode:1957GeCoA..11..263L. doi:10.1016/0016-7037(57)90099-6.
  4. ↑ Clarke, Roy S.; Edward R. D. Scott (1980). "Tetrataenite - ordered FeNi, a new mineral in meteorites" (PDF). American Mineralogist. 65: 624–630. Bibcode:1980AmMin..65..624C.
  5. ↑ Yang, J.; J. I. Goldstein (2005). "The formation of the Widmanstätten structure in meteorites". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 40 (2): 239–253. Bibcode:2005M&PS...40..239Y. doi: 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2005.tb00378.x .
  6. ↑ Goldstein, J. I.; J. R. Michael (2006). "The formation of plessite in meteoritic metal". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 41 (4): 553–570. Bibcode:2006M&PS...41..553G. doi: 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2006.tb00482.x .
  7. ↑ Rosenhain, Walter; Jean McMinn (1925). "The Plastic Deformation of Iron and the Formation of Neumann Lines". Proceedings of the Royal Society. 108 (746): 231–239. Bibcode:1925RSPSA.108..231R. doi: 10.1098/rspa.1925.0071 .
  8. ↑ Waldbaum, J. C. and James D. Muhly; The first archaeological appearance of iron and the transition to the iron age chapter in The coming of the age of iron, Theodore A. Wertme. ed., Yale University Press, 1980, ISBN   978-0300024258
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jambon, Albert (2017). "Bronze Age iron: Meteoritic or not? A chemical strategy" (PDF). Journal of Archaeological Science. 88: 47–53. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2017.09.008. ISSN   0305-4403.
  10. ↑ "Pre-Dynastic Iron Beads from Gerzeh, Egypt". ucl.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 7 April 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  11. ↑ Rehren, Thilo; Belgya, Tamás; Jambon, Albert; Káli, György; et al. (31 July 2013). "5,000 years old Egyptian iron beads made from hammered meteoritic iron". Journal of Archaeological Science. 40 (12): 4785–4792. doi: 10.1016/j.jas.2013.06.002 . hdl: 11568/908268 .
  12. ↑ Bjorkman, Judith Kingston (1973). "Meteors and Meteorites in the ancient Near East". Meteoritics. 8 (2): 91–132. Bibcode:1973Metic...8...91B. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1973.tb00146.x.
  13. ↑ Daniela Comelli; Massimo D'orazio; Luigi Folco; Mahmud El-Halwagy; Tommaso Frizzi; Roberto Alberti; Valentina Capogrosso; Abdelrazek Elnaggar; Hala Hassan; Austin Nevin; Franco Porcelli; Mohamed G. Rashed; Gianluca Valentini (2016). "The meteoritic origin of Tutankhamun's iron dagger blade". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 51 (7): 1301–1309. Bibcode:2016M&PS...51.1301C. doi: 10.1111/maps.12664 .
  14. ↑ Walsh, Declan (2 June 2016). "King Tut's Dagger Made of 'Iron From the Sky,' Researchers Say". The New York Times . Retrieved 4 June 2016. ...the blade's composition of iron, nickel and cobalt was an approximate match for a meteorite that landed in northern Egypt. The result "strongly suggests an extraterrestrial origin"
  15. ↑ Guy, Jack (8 August 2023). "Arrowhead made from meteorite 3,000 years ago found near lake in Europe". CNN . Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  16. ↑ Iron and steel in ancient times by Vagn Fabritius Buchwald - Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab 2005
  17. ↑ T. A. Rickard (1941). "The Use of Meteoric Iron". Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute. 71 (1/2): 55–66. doi:10.2307/2844401. JSTOR   2844401.
  18. ↑ Buchwald, V. F. (1992). "On the Use of Iron by the Eskimos in Greenland". Materials Characterization. 29 (2): 139–176. doi:10.1016/1044-5803(92)90112-U. JSTOR   2844401.
  19. ↑ Der Lama mit der Hose: „Buddha from space“ ist offenbar eine Fälschung (Telepolis 13.10.2012)
  20. ↑ "Ancient Buddhist Statue Made of Meteorite, New Study Reveals". Science Daily. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
  21. ↑ Buchner, Elmar; Schmieder, Martin; Kurat, Gero; Brandstätter, Franz; et al. (1 September 2012). "Buddha from space-An ancient object of art made of a Chinga iron meteorite fragment*". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 47 (9): 1491–1501. Bibcode:2012M&PS...47.1491B. doi: 10.1111/j.1945-5100.2012.01409.x .
  22. ↑ "The Cranbourne Meteorites" (PDF). City of Casey. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  23. ↑ Evans, W. F. J.; Gattinger, R. L.; Slanger, T. G.; Saran, D. V.; et al. (20 November 2010). "Discovery of the FeO orange bands in the terrestrial night airglow spectrum obtained with OSIRIS on the Odin spacecraft". Geophysical Research Letters. 37 (22): L22105. Bibcode:2010GeoRL..3722105E. doi:10.1029/2010GL045310. S2CID   130887275.
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