Re: [meteorite-list] Red(dish) Fusion Crust

2013-05-29 Thread Michael Johnson
Same as I thought perhaps oxidation on one side of this bensour but now I learn 
otherwise:
http://www.johnsonmeteorites.com/BENSOUR.html

Johnson, M.D.
www.johnsonmeteorites.com
Thumbed on my iPhone

On May 29, 2013, at 12:14 PM, "Martin Altmann"  
wrote:

> Hiho,
> 
> I'm thrilled, maybe now many readers of the list
> rush to their drawers and showcases, to look for more examples of other
> falls,
> where they thought before, that the lighter colour was due terrestrial
> oxidation and the individuals not that fresh.
> 
> Let's wait, what they'll find!
> Martin
> 
> 
> -Ursprüngliche Nachricht-
> Von: Jason Utas [mailto:meteorite...@gmail.com] 
> Gesendet: Mittwoch, 29. Mai 2013 18:02
> An: Martin Altmann
> Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] Red(dish) Fusion Crust
> 
> Hola,
> Looking at his pagethe Buzzard is red to a much lesser extent.
> Good observation, though -- it makes sense that H's would still show at
> least some hematite presence, if that is was causes the red coloration.
> 
> The first link in my last email goes against what you say above.  Note that
> the pictured stone has a black, frothy rear and a reddish shield-shaped
> front.
> 
> Regards,
> Jason
> 
> www.fallsandfinds.com
> 
> 
> On Wed, May 29, 2013 at 8:41 AM, Martin Altmann
>  wrote:
>> Hi,
>> 
>>> But, then...why don't H chondrites usually form such red fusion crusts?
>> 
>> But they do,
>> the example on Svend's page is a Buzzard Coulee, and in literature you 
>> read it about Pultusk.
>> 
>>> This list seems to have a short memory.
>> 
>> Well, the specialty here, is that a colour variation in the crust, if 
>> found only on one side, can be used as criterion for orientation. Most 
>> of the examples shown here, underline, that stones must have had at 
>> least a longer phase of stable flight, because it is indicated by the 
>> lipping around the edges of these sides. (Which identify the coloured
> sides as backsides).
>> 
>> Best,
>> Martin
>> 
>> 
>> __
>> 
>> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
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> 
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> 
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Re: [meteorite-list] Red(dish) Fusion Crust

2013-05-29 Thread Martin Altmann
Hiho,

I'm thrilled, maybe now many readers of the list
rush to their drawers and showcases, to look for more examples of other
falls,
where they thought before, that the lighter colour was due terrestrial
oxidation and the individuals not that fresh.

Let's wait, what they'll find!
Martin


-Ursprüngliche Nachricht-
Von: Jason Utas [mailto:meteorite...@gmail.com] 
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 29. Mai 2013 18:02
An: Martin Altmann
Betreff: Re: [meteorite-list] Red(dish) Fusion Crust

Hola,
Looking at his pagethe Buzzard is red to a much lesser extent.
Good observation, though -- it makes sense that H's would still show at
least some hematite presence, if that is was causes the red coloration.

The first link in my last email goes against what you say above.  Note that
the pictured stone has a black, frothy rear and a reddish shield-shaped
front.

Regards,
Jason

www.fallsandfinds.com


On Wed, May 29, 2013 at 8:41 AM, Martin Altmann
 wrote:
> Hi,
>
>>But, then...why don't H chondrites usually form such red fusion crusts?
>
> But they do,
> the example on Svend's page is a Buzzard Coulee, and in literature you 
> read it about Pultusk.
>
>>This list seems to have a short memory.
>
> Well, the specialty here, is that a colour variation in the crust, if 
> found only on one side, can be used as criterion for orientation. Most 
> of the examples shown here, underline, that stones must have had at 
> least a longer phase of stable flight, because it is indicated by the 
> lipping around the edges of these sides. (Which identify the coloured
sides as backsides).
>
> Best,
> Martin
>
>
> __
>
> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list

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Re: [meteorite-list] Red(dish) Fusion Crust

2013-05-29 Thread Jason Utas
Hola,
Looking at his pagethe Buzzard is red to a much lesser extent.
Good observation, though -- it makes sense that H's would still show
at least some hematite presence, if that is was causes the red
coloration.

The first link in my last email goes against what you say above.  Note
that the pictured stone has a black, frothy rear and a reddish
shield-shaped front.

Regards,
Jason

www.fallsandfinds.com


On Wed, May 29, 2013 at 8:41 AM, Martin Altmann
 wrote:
> Hi,
>
>>But, then...why don't H chondrites usually form such red fusion crusts?
>
> But they do,
> the example on Svend's page is a Buzzard Coulee, and in literature you read
> it about Pultusk.
>
>>This list seems to have a short memory.
>
> Well, the specialty here, is that a colour variation in the crust, if found
> only on one side, can be used as criterion for orientation. Most of the
> examples shown here, underline, that stones must have had at least a longer
> phase of stable flight, because it is indicated by the lipping around the
> edges of these sides. (Which identify the coloured sides as backsides).
>
> Best,
> Martin
>
>
> __
>
> Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
> Meteorite-list mailing list
> Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com
> http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
__

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Re: [meteorite-list] Red(dish) Fusion Crust

2013-05-29 Thread Martin Altmann
Hi,

>But, then...why don't H chondrites usually form such red fusion crusts?

But they do,
the example on Svend's page is a Buzzard Coulee, and in literature you read
it about Pultusk.

>This list seems to have a short memory.

Well, the specialty here, is that a colour variation in the crust, if found
only on one side, can be used as criterion for orientation. Most of the
examples shown here, underline, that stones must have had at least a longer
phase of stable flight, because it is indicated by the lipping around the
edges of these sides. (Which identify the coloured sides as backsides).

Best,
Martin  


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Re: [meteorite-list] Red(dish) Fusion Crust

2013-05-29 Thread Michael Farmer
This is seen on many stones, I have a Bensour that is almost red.
I have many Chelyabinsk stones also with brown to red crust, and some 
iridescent in every color in the rainbow. This is seen in many L and LL falls, 
but generally only before exposure to water. However I found my first 
Chelyabinsk which was 503 grams, perfect pyramid with one red crusted side, all 
other sides extremely black.
Michael Farmer

Sent from my iPad

On May 29, 2013, at 8:00 AM, Jason Utas  wrote:

> Hello All,
> And the red crust isn't just found on trailing faces of stones:
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/meteorite-Chelyabinsk-chondrite-LL5-complete-stone-14-65-g-recent-fall-Russia-/161029553312?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257e1bfca0&nma=true&si=jHrsL50utK2qqpfbNFqr9%252BcmQSM%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557
> 
> It's been seen on stones from just about every reasonably-sized L and
> LL multiple-stone fall I can think of, and has been discussed on the
> list as far back as 2007, if not earlier.  Similar stones have been
> noted from Breja, Bensour, Battle Mountain, Ash Creek, Mifflin, etc.
> This list seems to have a short memory.
> 
> For those who are curious, "magnetite" content is a bit vague.  The
> difference in fusion crust coloration is most likely caused by the
> oxidative state of the iron in the fusion crust.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_oxide
> 
> If we assume that water is not abundant in the fusion crust due to the
> high heat necessary to form a fusion crust (perhaps wrong, but
> simplifies things), we have three oxides to work with:
> 
> --
>> From above:
> 
> Wüstite (FeO) is a mineral form of iron (II) oxide found with
> meteorites and native iron. *It has a gray color with a greenish tint
> in reflected light.*
> 
> Magnetite is a mineral, one of the two common naturally occurring iron
> oxides (chemical formula Fe3O4). Magnetite has been very important in
> understanding the conditions under which rocks form. Magnetite reacts
> with oxygen to produce hematite, and the mineral pair forms a buffer
> that can control oxygen fugacity. *Generally black or silvery, can
> have a brownish tint.*
> 
> Iron (III) oxide or ferric oxide is the inorganic compound with the
> formula Fe2O3. We'd most likely be dealing with alpha-phase ferric
> oxide because it is the most stable Fe2O3 phase over ~500°C.  This
> one's also called hematite. *Fe2O3 is dark red.*
> --
> 
> The wikipedia page above links to nice summaries of the hydrous oxides
> as well, if you want to check them out.
> 
> The variables we have to work with are: the amount of iron in the
> meteorite, plus abundances of other minerals that could affect oxide
> or other mineral formation in the crust.  Fragment shape and
> orientation probably control oxygen flow to given areas (see link
> below) but also --
> 
> ...the entry speed/angle and breakup height would probably help to
> determine the rate of ablation/deceleration of given fragments (e.g.
> the point at which fusion crust will remain on the surface of the
> meteorite versus ablating away), which would also affect the
> temperature at which the remaining fusion crust formed (a potential
> variable controlling the oxidative state of iron?).  Either way, since
> access to oxygen seems to determine the "redness" of the fusion crust,
> altitude of fragmentation is probably quite important.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chelyabinsk-Meteorite-Fall-from-Feb-15th-2013-in-Russia-7-098-grams-/111073775576?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19dc834fd8
> 
> ^One of the better examples currently on ebay, with topographically
> low areas that clearly show reddening/browning.
> 
> In short, yes, hematite is red, so hematite content is a good
> candidate for the 'reddening agent.'
> 
> But, then...why don't H chondrites usually form such red fusion
> crusts?  It might be due to the higher iron content in H-chondrites
> and the ratio of iron to oxygen in the above three oxides.  Fe2O3
> (hematite) has the lowest Fe to O ratio of the above three minerals
> (1:1 vs. 3:4 vs. 2:3), so a meteorite that is higher in iron might be
> less likely to form a "lower-iron" oxide (hematite) in the same
> conditions.  But this seems somewhat unlikely, as this hypothesized
> cutoff for hematite formation in the crust would depend on the
> difference in the modal abundance of Fe in L's versus H's, and that's
> not a clear boundary.  One would have to look at the metal content of
> various larger multiple falls and examine large numbers of pristine
> stones from each in order to reach a well-supported answer to that
> question.
> 
> Chelyabinsk does support this general hypothesis, though.  It broke up
> at a lower altitude than most bolides do, so fragments should have
> been exposed to a thicker atmosphere/more oxygen in their final
> ablative stages of flight.  Because of this, we'd expect to see more
> iron oxides with higher ratios of oxygen to iron in the fusion crust
> (e.g. our red hematite)

[meteorite-list] Red(dish) Fusion Crust

2013-05-29 Thread Jason Utas
Hello All,
And the red crust isn't just found on trailing faces of stones:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/meteorite-Chelyabinsk-chondrite-LL5-complete-stone-14-65-g-recent-fall-Russia-/161029553312?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257e1bfca0&nma=true&si=jHrsL50utK2qqpfbNFqr9%252BcmQSM%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

It's been seen on stones from just about every reasonably-sized L and
LL multiple-stone fall I can think of, and has been discussed on the
list as far back as 2007, if not earlier.  Similar stones have been
noted from Breja, Bensour, Battle Mountain, Ash Creek, Mifflin, etc.
This list seems to have a short memory.

For those who are curious, "magnetite" content is a bit vague.  The
difference in fusion crust coloration is most likely caused by the
oxidative state of the iron in the fusion crust.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_oxide

If we assume that water is not abundant in the fusion crust due to the
high heat necessary to form a fusion crust (perhaps wrong, but
simplifies things), we have three oxides to work with:

--
>From above:

Wüstite (FeO) is a mineral form of iron (II) oxide found with
meteorites and native iron. *It has a gray color with a greenish tint
in reflected light.*

Magnetite is a mineral, one of the two common naturally occurring iron
oxides (chemical formula Fe3O4). Magnetite has been very important in
understanding the conditions under which rocks form. Magnetite reacts
with oxygen to produce hematite, and the mineral pair forms a buffer
that can control oxygen fugacity. *Generally black or silvery, can
have a brownish tint.*

Iron (III) oxide or ferric oxide is the inorganic compound with the
formula Fe2O3. We'd most likely be dealing with alpha-phase ferric
oxide because it is the most stable Fe2O3 phase over ~500°C.  This
one's also called hematite. *Fe2O3 is dark red.*
--

The wikipedia page above links to nice summaries of the hydrous oxides
as well, if you want to check them out.

The variables we have to work with are: the amount of iron in the
meteorite, plus abundances of other minerals that could affect oxide
or other mineral formation in the crust.  Fragment shape and
orientation probably control oxygen flow to given areas (see link
below) but also --

...the entry speed/angle and breakup height would probably help to
determine the rate of ablation/deceleration of given fragments (e.g.
the point at which fusion crust will remain on the surface of the
meteorite versus ablating away), which would also affect the
temperature at which the remaining fusion crust formed (a potential
variable controlling the oxidative state of iron?).  Either way, since
access to oxygen seems to determine the "redness" of the fusion crust,
altitude of fragmentation is probably quite important.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chelyabinsk-Meteorite-Fall-from-Feb-15th-2013-in-Russia-7-098-grams-/111073775576?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19dc834fd8

^One of the better examples currently on ebay, with topographically
low areas that clearly show reddening/browning.

In short, yes, hematite is red, so hematite content is a good
candidate for the 'reddening agent.'

But, then...why don't H chondrites usually form such red fusion
crusts?  It might be due to the higher iron content in H-chondrites
and the ratio of iron to oxygen in the above three oxides.  Fe2O3
(hematite) has the lowest Fe to O ratio of the above three minerals
(1:1 vs. 3:4 vs. 2:3), so a meteorite that is higher in iron might be
less likely to form a "lower-iron" oxide (hematite) in the same
conditions.  But this seems somewhat unlikely, as this hypothesized
cutoff for hematite formation in the crust would depend on the
difference in the modal abundance of Fe in L's versus H's, and that's
not a clear boundary.  One would have to look at the metal content of
various larger multiple falls and examine large numbers of pristine
stones from each in order to reach a well-supported answer to that
question.

Chelyabinsk does support this general hypothesis, though.  It broke up
at a lower altitude than most bolides do, so fragments should have
been exposed to a thicker atmosphere/more oxygen in their final
ablative stages of flight.  Because of this, we'd expect to see more
iron oxides with higher ratios of oxygen to iron in the fusion crust
(e.g. our red hematite) .  Lo and behold, we're seeing more stones
with reddish fusion crusts than usual.  This could be a coincidence,
but...perhaps not.

One should also note that many Chelyabinsks aren't just black or
reddish.  Many are an unusual lighter brown/grey color:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/meteorite-Chelyabinsk-chondrite-LL5-complete-stone-13-14-g-recent-fall-Russia-/161034404036?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item257e6600c4

That's a color I've never seen before on an OC, but many Chelyabinsks
show it.  Could higher levels of (grey/metallic) magnetite be the
cause?  I wonder...and if that's the case, I'd be curious to know why
this is specifically happening with