Meteorite San Juan 090 – Chile
Typ: iron meteorite / IIE
Locality: Antofagasta, Chile
Weight: 1,5g
Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 2 mm
Year found: 2015
Total known weight: 2,54 kg
Surface treatment: cut, polished slice (etched with acid on one side only – visible Widmanstätten patterns; the other side is polished without etching)
Packaging: Transparent plastic box (5,8 x 3,8 x 1,6 cm)
| Category: | San Juan 090 |
|---|---|
| By name: | San Juan 090 |
| ? Type: | Iron |
| ? Surface treatment: | Cut |
| Packaging: | In box |
| Specialties: | Widmanstätten's patterns |
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San Juan 090 Meteorite – Iron Meteorite from Chile
The San Juan 090 meteorite is an iron meteorite discovered on February 3, 2015 in the Antofagasta region of Chile. It is classified as an IIE iron meteorite and has a mass of 2.54 kilograms.
The San Juan area in the Atacama Desert is one of the most significant meteorite find locations in dry desert regions. Meteorites found here exhibit a wide range of terrestrial ages: from recent falls to over 40,000 years, and show limited weathering due to the extremely arid climate.
After etching, the meteorite shows a polycrystalline structure composed of small kamacite grains (0.1 to 3 mm), often with Neumann bands, and also contains troilite, schreibersite, and silicate inclusions such as olivine or pyroxene.
Neumann Bands
Neumann bands are fine parallel lines visible in some iron meteorites, especially those containing kamacite (an iron-nickel alloy with low nickel content). These bands form as a result of deformation caused by extremely strong impacts experienced by the meteorite during its journey through space or upon impact with Earth.
They are a result of shock transformation of kamacite, meaning they form under high pressure during collision events. In other words, when a meteorite suffers a strong impact, changes occur in its internal structure, especially in kamacite, where these thin deformations are formed.
Neumann bands can be observed on the etched surface of an iron meteorite, typically using nitric acid. Unlike Widmanstätten patterns, which form by slow cooling and have larger crystal structures, Neumann bands are finer and reflect the shock history of the meteorite.