IMILAC METEORITE - LARGE COMPLETE SLICE OF A METEORITE WITH PERIDOT FROM OUTER SPACE. ...

Description

IMILAC METEORITE - LARGE COMPLETE SLICE OF A METEORITE WITH PERIDOT FROM OUTER SPACE
PAL - Pallasite
Atacama Desert, Chile
Strikingly beautiful, pallasitic meteorites are the most sought-after meteorites, and this large complete slice amply reveals why specimens of Imilac are among the most coveted. All pallasitic meteorites - less than 1% of all meteorites - originate from the boundary between the stony mantle and molten iron core of a planetary body that broke apart during the formation of our solar system (whose remnants today are collectively referred to as the asteroid belt). Nothing naturally occurs on Earth that resembles this material. The olivine crystals seen here are the result of small chunks of stony mantle becoming suspended in molten nickel-iron which slowly cooled and crystallized over a million years in the vacuum of outer space. Imilac occasionally contains - as does this dazzling example - gem-quality olivine or peridot, the birthstone of August.
This specimen has the archetypal dispersion of Imilac olivine crystals, and a complete rim of fusion crust. Found in the Atacama Desert in Chile - the highest desert on Earth - the source material is now thoroughly exhausted. It is now extremely difficult to obtain large complete slices of what is inarguably the most resplendent extraterrestrial material known. This is an outstanding example of an exquisite meteorite. 261 x 174 x 3 mm (10.3 x 6.8 x 0.1 inches) and 706 grams (1.5 pounds).
Provenance: Macovich Collection of Meteorites.

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