The Fukang meteorite is a

meteorite A meteorite is a rock (geology), rock that originated in outer space and has fallen to the surface of a planet or Natural satellite, moon. When the original object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical ...

that was found in the mountains near

Fukang Fukang is a county-level city in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China. Its area is and its population in 2007 was reported as approximately 1.5 million. Fukang is located in Northern Xinjiang in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, north of � ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 2000. It is a

pallasite The pallasites are a Meteorite classification#Terminology, class of stony–iron meteorite. They are relatively rare, and can be distinguished by the presence of large olivine crystal inclusions in the ferro-nickel matrix. These crystals represe ...

—a type of

stony–iron meteorite Stony-iron meteorites or siderolites are meteorites that consist of nearly equal parts of meteoric iron and Silicate mineral, silicates. This distinguishes them from the stony meteorites, that are mostly silicates, and the iron meteorites, that ar ...

with

olivine The mineral olivine () is a magnesium iron Silicate minerals, silicate with the chemical formula . It is a type of Nesosilicates, nesosilicate or orthosilicate. The primary component of the Earth's upper mantle (Earth), upper mantle, it is a com ...

crystals. It is estimated to be 4.5 billion years old.

History

In 2000, near

, a Chinese dealer obtained a mass from Xinjiang Province, China, with a weight of . He removed about from the main mass, and in February 2005, the meteorite was taken to the

Tucson Gem and Mineral Show The Tucson Gem, Mineral & Fossil Showcase are gem and mineral shows that take place annually in late January and February at multiple locations across the city of Tucson, Arizona. Most of the shows are open to the public, except for certain tr ...

, where it was seen by Dr.

Dante Lauretta Dante S. Lauretta (born 1970) is a professor of planetary science and cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. He is the principal investigator on NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission. Education Lauretta grew up in Arizo ...

, a professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...

. Subsequently, the mass was investigated at the Southwest Meteorite Center, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory,

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

by Dr. Lauretta and a team of research scientists including Dolores Hill, Marvin Killgore, Daniella DellaGiustina, and Dr. Yulia Goreva, and joined by Dr. Ian Franchi of Open University.

Classification and composition

The Fukang pallasite contains large, gem quality olivine, or peridot, in a nickel-iron matrix. The olivines vary in shape from rounded to angular, many are fractured and they range in size from less than five millimetres to several centimetres. The main mass contains several regions of massive olivine clusters up to eleven centimetres (4.3 inches) in diameter with thin metal veins. Fo_86.4 with molar Fe/Mg = 0.1367, Fe/Mn = 40.37, and Nickel, Ni = 0.03 wt%. The metal matrix is mostly kamacite with an average nickel content of 6.98 wt%. Vermicular sulfide (troilite) is present in some olivine.
Oxygen isotopes: δ^18O 2.569 ‰, δ^17O 1.179 ‰, ∆1 7O = −0.157 ‰.

Specimens

A section weighing of type specimen is on deposit at the

. Marvin Killgore holds an additional section weighing the same amount, as well as the balance of the main mass. In April 2008, Bonhams offered the main mass for auction at their Manhattan auction. Bonhams expected to fetch US$2,000,000, but the lot remained unsold. A "window" area of was cut and polished to provide a view into the gem areas of the meteorite.Farlang Team (2008-12-07). Fukang Meteorite, Gemstone Meteorites: a Peridot from Outer Space. Farlang, 7 December 2008. Retrieved from http://www.farlang.com/art/gemstone-meteorites. Main Mass of the Fukang Meteorite

References

External links

*
Southwest Meteorite Laboratory - Fukang Pallasite
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fukang (Meteorite) Meteorites found in China Stony-iron meteorites Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture 2000 in science 2000 in China

History

Classification and composition

Specimens

See also

References

External links