[meteorite-list] SHATTERCONES in TATAHOUINE

From: Mendy Ouzillou <ouzillou_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Mar 2013 08:34:36 -0800
Message-ID: <0ae501ce1a88$7e3e9c70$7abbd550$_at_com>

Yes, many of my specimens display this feature. Now that you mention it, it
reminds me of improperly annealed material that is under stress. In other
words the cooling happened very rapidly from above the annealing point (not
necessarily liquid) to below the annealing point.
Mendy

-----Original Message-----
From: meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com
[mailto:meteorite-list-bounces at meteoritecentral.com] On Behalf Of Paul
Gessler
Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2013 1:35 AM
To: meteorite-list
Subject: [meteorite-list] SHATTERCONES in TATAHOUINE

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/5852125796528297
633

Thanks-
Paul Gessler

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Received on Wed 06 Mar 2013 11:34:36 AM PST