| Iron Meteorites |
| Iron meteorites are only about 4% of falls but they are the most commonly found meteorite because of their unusual characteristics. Irons are very heavy for their size and even when partially weathered, have a shiny metallic look. Irons tend to be larger than stone meteorites because they are structurally stronger and therefore better able to resist the stresses of entering that atmosphere that usually break up stone meteorites into smaller pieces. All iron meteorites come from the cores of differentiated asteroids where the heavy elements, mainly iron, have settled. On a polished surface etched with a weak acid, most irons will display a pattern of lines called the widmanstatten pattern. This pattern is caused by the interactions of the crystal lattices of 2 nickel-iron minerals known as kamacite and taenite. |
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| Gibeon, Namibia Fine octahedrite Found-1836 Etched slice and endpiece with 4 etched faces |
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| Canyon Diablo, Arizona, USA Coarse octahedrite Found-1800's Whole specimen |
| Sikhote-Alin, Russia Coarsest octahedrite Fell-Feb. 12, 1947 Whole specimen with fusion crust |
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| Henbury, Northern Territory, Australia Medium octahedrite Found-1931 Oriented whole specimen |
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| Nantan, Guangxi Province, China Coarse octahedrite Fell-Probably June 1516 Weathered whole specimens |
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| Campo del Cielo, Argentina Coarse octahedrite Found - 1576 Whole specimen |