Iron
Meteorites are the second most common of all Meteorites and
come in a range of types. The two main kinds are:
Nickel
Iron: these are formed inside the molten core of an
asteroid or moon. Being very heavy these metals are drawn
to the centre of a molten mass and eventually solidify.
When hardened in zero gravity the metal crystallizes and
forms unique octahedrite crystals that can easily bee
seen when the face of a meteorite is etched. The term
given to this pattern is the Widmanstatten pattern. Another
pattern that may occur is the Newman lines which form
hexadrite patterns.
Silicated
Iron Meteorites: these are iron meteorites that also
contain Silicates and hence have pockets of iron and silicate
bearing minerals making a mosaic. These meteorites are
still mostly metal and are quite heavy but not as heavy
as nickel-iron meteorites.
