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Re: deterioration of meteorites

Hello Peter, hello David, hello List!

Peter Abrahams wrote:

> I'd like to fill out the article with a list of meteorites that are
> known to deteriorate if stored in the open air or handled.
> --------
> Brenham often rusts and crumbles.

My Brenham slice (195 g /  8.3 x 8.3 x 0.7 cm) has been very stable for
over 10 years now (I keep most irons in dessicators).

This does not necessarily imply that a dessicator prevents
deterioration, because my Admire specimen (92 g /  6.2 x 3.9 x 0.6 cm)
looks very bad and I am afraid it will also self-destruct sooner or
later.

David Weir wrote:

> and some rusting on a Bondoc specimen.

I bought a Bondoc nickel-iron nodule (95.8 g / 45 x 35 x 18 mm) from
David New some years ago (1989). This specimen also shows several rusty
specks on the cut and etched surface.

> Saratov & Bjurböle are examples of very friable meteorite ...

Others that are described as friable are the following:

1) Appley Bridge - LL6 (described as 'friable' in a letter by W.C.
Jenkins in Nature 1914, p. 505-506):

" ... The very friable nature of the mass was such that portions could
be readily broken off by the thumb and fingers ..."

2) Binningup is described as slightly friable in A.W.R. BEVAN et al.
(1988) The Binningup H5 Chondrite - A New Fall from Western Australia
(Meteoritics 23, 1988, 29-33):

"The meteorite is a grey, crystalline, though slightly friable
chondrite. "

3) Cavour - H6

"A 5 pound mass examined by J.D. Buddhue* proved to be a dark, much
oxidised and very friable stone ..."

4) Magombedze - H6

MacPHERSON G.J. et al. (1993) Magombedze: A new H chondrite with
light-dark structure (Meteoritics 28-1, 1993, 138-142):

"... and material is easily disagreggated from clasts and matrix with
only minimal pressure from a digging tool".

*BUDDHUE J.D. (1957) The Oxidation and Weathering of Meteorites (Univ.
New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 162 pp.).

SPARGUR C.S. et al. (1992) Calorimetric ‘weatherometer’ for stony
meteorites (abs.  Lun.Plan.  Sci. 23, 1337-1338).


Best wishes,

Bernd!

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