Vermillion meteorite

The Vermillion meteorite is a pallasite (stony-iron) meteorite and one of two members of the pyroxene pallasite grouplet.[1]

Vermillion
Type	Achondrite, pallasite
Grouplet	Pyroxene pallasite grouplet
Composition	Meteoric iron (~86%) silicates (~14%)
Country	United States
Region	Kansas
Coordinates	39°44′11″N 96°21′41″W
Observed fall	No
Found date	1991
TKW	34.36 kilograms (75.8 lb)

Discovery

The meteorite was found near and was named after Vermillion, Marshall County, Kansas. It was found by two farmers while planting on a grain field in 1991. It was recognized as a meteorite and first described in 1995.[2]

Mineralogy

Vermillion meteorite consists of around 86 volume-% meteoric iron and 14 % silicate minerals. The silicates include olivine (93% of silicates), orthopyroxene (5%), chromite (1.5%) and merrillite (0.5%).[3] Other accessory minerals include troilite, whitlockite,[1] and cohenite.[4]

Classification

The Vermillion meteorite is classified as a pyroxene pallasite because it contains pyroxene as an accessory mineral and shares a distinct oxygen isotope signature with Yamato 8451.[1] Some studies also object to this grouping, referring to the differences in siderophile trace elements and the occurrence of cohenite in the Vermillion meteorite.[4]

See also

• Glossary of meteoritics

References

1. M. K. Weisberg; T. J. McCoy; A. N. Krot (2006). "Systematics and Evaluation of Meteorite Classification". In D.S. Lauretta; H.Y. McSween, Jr. (eds.). Meteorites and the early solar system II (PDF). Tucson: University of Arizona Press. pp. 19–52, 942. ISBN 978-0816525621. Retrieved 17 October 2013. foreword by Richard P. Binze
2. "Vermillion". Meteoritical Society.
3. Boesenberg, J. S.; M. Prinz; M. K. Weisberg; A. M. Davis; R. N. Clyton; T. K. Mayeda (1995). "Pyroxene Pallasites: A New Pallasite Grouplet". Meteoritics. 30: 488–489. Bibcode:1995Metic..30R.488B. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
4. Boesenberg, Joseph S.; Davis, Andrew M.; Prinz, Martin; Weisberg, Michael K.; Clayton, Robert N.; Mayeda, Toshiko K. (1 July 2000). "The pyroxene pallasites, Vermillion and Yamato 8451: Not quite a couple". Meteoritics & Planetary Science. 35 (4): 757–769. Bibcode:2000M&PS...35..757B. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.2000.tb01460.x.