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MARIA DA FÉ

Iron

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ACHONDRITE

FINE OCTAHEDRITE

IVA

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BRAZIL - MG

1987

Iron Meteorite - Fine Octahedrite IVA..

PETROGRAPHY:

Polished and etched (2% of Nital) sections showed that the heat affected alfa 2 zones have been removed by erosion and weathering products penetrate into the interior. All sections displayed fine and homogeneous widmanstatten structure, which presented kamacite lamellae with 0.35+/- 0.05mm width of straight long. The kamacite bands exhibited profuse Neumann lines, varing in quantity from grain to grain. They are commonly crossing three or more kamacite lamellae at the same direction, sometimes also crossing plessite fields. Taenite and plessite covered about 30% of the observed area. Fonte: Zucolotto & Pinto (2001).

GEOCHEMISTRY:

Total Chemistry: Co = 0.38 wt%, Ni = 7.45 wt%, Cu = 139 ppm, Ga = 1.68 ppm, As = 2.16 ppm, Ir = 3.78 ppm, Au = 0.615 ppm.

CLASSIFICATION:

Iron Meteorite - Fine Octahedrite IVA.

CLASSIFIERS:

J. T. Wasson and M.E. Zucolotto

HISTORY:

This iron meteorite was found around 1987, ate the city of Maria da Fé at vicinities of Itajubá, Minas Gerais estate. Many masses were found during the cleaning of the Eucalyptus forest for potato cultivation when the plough`s blades began to break. Unfortunately, only one mass was preserved which was given to the owner`s son Diógenes B. Ninis, who keep it as a curiosity until 1999, when he informed the LNA (Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica) and a sample was sent to Museu Nacional. The mass weights 18kg and it is weathered and covered with 0.5 - 1mm thick crust of terrestrial oxides no fusion crust was preserved. Fonte: Zucolotto & Pinto (2001).

All information that does not have a specific source was extracted from the Meteoritical Bulletin Database.

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