Irons
Iron meteorites are composed mainly of iron and nickel. They are the remnants of differentiated asteroid core. Due to their composition, these meteorites have formed the majority of impact craters on Earth. They are also more resistant to Earth erosion and more easily identifiable.
Iron meteorites are composed mainly of two minerals: kamacite and taenite. These minerals are alloys of iron and nickel. Kamacite is composed of less than 10% nickel and at least 90% iron, while taenite can contain up to 50% nickel. The assembly of these minerals creates the figures of Widmandstätten, revealed thanks to a nitric acid treatment on a polished section of iron meteorites.
Iron meteorites are classified into a large number of groups, defined by trace element composition of the meteorite.
Chondrites
Achondrite
Stony irons
