[meteorite-list] Opinion - Purple in a Meteorite

From: Norm Lehrman <nlehrman_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Fri Sep 30 11:22:04 2005
Message-ID: <20050930152147.21496.qmail_at_web81005.mail.yahoo.com>

Pete,

I don't know if it's been reported in meteorites, but
if this was earth material, my first guess would be
vivianite, a hydrous iron phosphate. It can look
exactly like that (and is often photosensitive: with
exposure to sunlight it will darken and often turn
dark green).

Maybe someone on the list knows or can check their
references regarding vivianite in meteorites.

Cheers,
Norm
(http://tektitesource.com)

--- Pete Pete <rsvp321_at_hotmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> Hello, all,
>
> I've mentioned before that my interest in meteorites
> is new, and have just
> started collecting.
>
> I've enjoyed buying quantities of (very affordable)
> Unclassified NWA's from
> some fellow list members, then cutting, polishing,
> and spending hours
> looking at them through my recently acquired
> stereoscope microscope. A whole
> new appreciation for chondrules when they're in 3-D!
>
> Getting to the point; one stone I recently cut, and
> polished down to a 400
> grit wet sand cloth, then examined through the
> microscope, revealed that one
> metallic area (troilite?) has a cavity, and in the
> cavity is a very vibrant
> purple to navy blue substance.
>
> http://pskills.onfinite.com/album/185698/628054/
>
> http://pskills.onfinite.com/album/185698/628055/
>
> The only information I've turned up on the internet
> thus far indicates that
> sodium chloride in meteorites is purple and blue,
> but it's been found just
> in the matrix.
>
> Is it more likely that this substance is some type
> of oxide that formed in a
> manner similar to a geode?
> I can't imagine salt forming or surviving inside a
> metallic area like this.
>
> I have some more close-up pics in hi-res , if
> required.
>
>
> Cheers,
> Pete
>
>
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Received on Fri 30 Sep 2005 11:21:47 AM PDT