[meteorite-list] SHATTERCONES in TATAHOUINE

From: Paul Gessler <cetuspa_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2013 01:35:28 -0800
Message-ID: <A2764E524A4949FD8F47147E1AA8415F_at_paulPC>

I had a chance to cherry pick some larger sized Tatahouine nuggets from Alan
Carion at the Tucson show
and have noticed what appear to be shattercones on many of the facets? On
every side that is fractured
there are these chevron shaped interlaced lamellae/ flaring
striations....however they don't seem to have just
one apex of orientation. On one surface I can see a cluster leading to the
top as an apex point only to be met with
one splitting the others going the opposite direction and also creating a
small platform.
It does make sense to me that Tathouine would exhibit this given its broken
safety glass terminal deployment.
I think the largest piece found was the size of a small grapefruit and if
you tapped it with a hammer it would
shatter into the smaller chunks we see more commonly.

I guess what I am saying is that this mass in space must have been a heavily
fractured structure and subject
to multiple impact incidents followed by annealing then more impacts leaving
over time heat and pressure
multi directional percussion striation. In essence shattercones.

Does anyone else see this? Any write ups on it that you are aware of? Got
any examples in your collections
that show what I am talking about?

Let me here your thoughts please.
I am stuck in an endless winter with plenty of time to ponder such things.

I am aware that they may just be the natural clevage lines of the various
minerals within.. but then why don't I
see this anywhere near as dramatic in other meteorites?

It would be neat to think of Tathouine as not just a unique Dioginite but
also as some kind of relict impactite from
the crust of another asteroid. ???

You can see some pictures here that I took through my microscope at 25x


https://plus.google.com/photos/107261840007598315830/albums/5852125796528297633

Thanks-
Paul Gessler
Received on Wed 06 Mar 2013 04:35:28 AM PST