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Pallasite  (variety of Kamacite; a type of Meteorite)
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Chemistry:  (Fe,Ni) + (Mg,Fe²⁺)₂[SiO₄]
[Olivine crystals in an iron-nickel matrix of Kamacite]

Discovered in 1772;   IMA status: Kamacite is Valid; Pallasite is Not Valid
Pallasite is named for the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas (1741-1811), who located in 1772 an iron meteorite specimen near Krasnojarsk in the mountains of Siberia.

Classification

Mineral Classification:

Metals and Intermetallic Alloys

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

1/A.07-20

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

1.AE.05

1 : ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)
A : Metals and Intermetallic Alloys
E : Iron-chromium family

Related to:

Iron - Nickel Group. Iron Series.

Crystal Data

Crystallography:

Kamacite: Isometric - Hexoctahedral

Crystal Habit:

Kamacite: As plates and lamellar masses and in regular intergrowth with taenite. May occur in crystals, to 30 cm; in extended plates and ribbons in Widmanstätten bands.

Twinning:

None

Physical Properties

Cleavage:

Indistinct (Kamacite)

Fracture:

Hackly, Jagged (Kamacite)

Tenacity:

Brittle (Kamacite)

Hardness (Mohs):

4.0 (Kamacite)

Density:

7.90 (g/cm³) (Kamacite)

Luminescence:

None (Kamacite)

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive (Kamacite)

Other:

Magnetic (Kamacite)

Optical Properties

Color:

Steel Gray to Iron Black (Kamacite)

Transparency:

Opaque (Kamacite)

Luster:

Metallic (Kamacite)

Refractive Index:

n/a

Birefringence:

n/a

Dispersion:

n/a

Pleochroism:

n/a

Occurances

Geological Setting:

A major constituent of iron meteorites (siderites) and present in varying amounts in most other meteorites except certain of the stony meteorites (aerolites).

Common Associations:

Cohenite, Daubréelite, Graphite, Moissanite, Oldhamite, Schreibersite, Taenite, Troilite, other meteorite minerals.

Common Impurities:

Co, C, P, S

Type Locality:

Near Krasnojarsk in the mountains of Siberia

Year Discovered:

1772

View mineral photos:

Kamacite (Meteorite) Photos and Locations

More Information

Mindat.org  (Kamacite)
Webmineral.com  (Kamacite)

Pallasite is a type of stony iron-nickel meteorite composed of a Kamacite (Fe,Ni) matrix interlaced with transparent Olivine (Peridot) crystals. Kamacite is a nickel-rich variety of iron that is the principle constituent of a typical octahedrite meteorite with about 92% iron and 7% nickel.

Pallasites were once thought to originate at the core-mantle boundary of differentiated asteroids which were subsequently shattered through impacts. An alternative recent hypothesis is that they are impact-generated mixtures of core and mantle materials [Edward R.D. Scott, "Impact Origins for Pallasites," Lunar and Planetary Science XXXVIII, 2007].

Pallasites are often available as polished slices or cabochons with a beautiful contrast between the bright metallic Kamacite and transparent Olivine "windows." Pallasites are among the most beautiful (and expensive) Meteorites and can be found around the world.

Pallasites are named for the German naturalist Peter Simon Pallas (1741-1811), who located in 1772 an iron specimen with a mass of 680 kg near Krasnojarsk in the mountains of Siberia. This meteorite is known as the famous Krasnojarsk Pallasite. Kamacite is named from the Greek word "kamask" meaning "shaft" or "lath" in allusion to its typical crystal pattern.
 

  
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