Handbook of Iron Meteorites, Volume 1

CHAPTER SEVEN Classzfication Numerous schemes for classification have been pro Also, the ratio between the number of finds and the posed since Partsch (1843) and Shepard (1846) presented num ber of falls has been calculated. This ratio mainly serves the first serious attempts, at that time on the basis of only to indicate how easily meteorites will be recognized by about 65 stones and 25 irons. The system which has layman: the higher the ratio, the easier the meteorite type basically proved most efficient was suggested by Rose will be distinguished from terrestrial rocks and reported. To (1863). It has been revised and improved by Tschermak a minor degree the ratio also reflects the resistance of (1872a), Brezina (1896), Prior (1920), Yavnel (1968b) and meteorites to terrestrial weathering: the higher the ratio, Mason (1971). Basically different classifications have also the more stable the meteorite type. been proposed. Daubree (1867b) and Meunier (1884; Within the iron division, it was deemed necessary to 1893a) thus introduced a system which won wide support exclude certain meteorites from those which were class in France, Italy, Spain and most of the Latin-American ified. Those excluded are insufficiently known, be it due to countries. It has, however, been rightly criticized as rich in inaccessibility, state of corrosion or for other reasons; see inconsistencies and superficial analogies (see e.g. , Cohen page 37 and Appendix 2. By comparison, it is surprising to 1905: 19); it has nevertheless persisted to our day as the observe how homogeneous the chondritic classes apparently basis for classification of some of the less important are, and how neatly all chondrites apparently can be collections. referred to their pigeonholes in the classification system, The scheme proposed below, Table 23a, adheres to leaving none unclassified and less than one percent anom Prior's system and comprises four main divisions. The alous. The system, as it stands here, has, in somewhat number of classes has, however, been slightly altered partly similar forms, won wide recognition; but it should be because the iron division has been reworked, partly because emphasized that it has not taken into account the often it was felt that in a basic scheme comprising almost 1700 very complex nature of some stony meteorites, as for meteorites there should be no room for five old classes each example several of the so-called polymict breccias discussed of which contained only one or two known samples: thus by Wahl (1952). the chassignites (1), angrites (1), nakhlites (2), sidero The meteoritic stones, or aerolites, are covered by the phyrs ( 1) and lodranites (1) have been omitted, and, in chondrite division and the achondrite division. The total of their place, four , more extensive, "anomalous" classes have 634 falls have provided about 14.9 tons of material, i.e., on been introduced. The anomalous classes embrace meteorites the average more than 23 kg per fall. However, to empha which for one reason or another do not fit into the normal size the fragmentary nature of our statistics it may be noted classes; with a negative criterion like this, individual that until 1968 the carbonaceous chondrites C3-C4 com members must necessarily be very different. Stone meteor prised 11 falls, totaling less than 400 kg. Since then the ites assigned to the anomalous classes are listed in the Allende fall, on February 8, 1969, has alone added more footnotes to the scheme, while the anomalous stony irons than 2000 kg. A similar situation exists within iron meteor are briefly discussed below. ites: The Sikhote-Alin fall in 194 7 (page 1123) added more Just as there are stones which are unique and require than 23 tons to the previously rather rare group liB. individual recognition, e.g., Winona and Angra dos Reis, Nevertheless, the total quantity of meteorites recovered there are irons which are unique or at the most have one through the last some two hundred years amounts to no or two relatives, both in regard to structure and chemical more than 485 tons, see Table 23b. The annual primary composition. Such iron meteorites, e.g., Kodaikanal, production of gold is about three times this amount; it is no Tucson and Mundrabilla, have been classed together as wonder that meteorites are in demand and are expensive. "anomalous irons." In the main part of this book and in Appendix 1, the reasons for the individual choices have Chondrites been discussed and summarized. The Chondrites (Rose 1864a: 29, 84; Mason 1962a; In the scheme the number of falls and the total number Wood 1963; Van Schmus & Wood 1967) contain millime of meteorites, i.e., falls plus fmds, within each class are ter-sized silicate spherules, chondrules, and 19-35 weight noted. The data are condensed from the more detailed percent iron, either as free nickeliferous iron or bound in compilation in Table 23b, where an attempt has been made troilite and silicates. The chondrites may be divided as to assemble the pertinent statistics as to falls, showers, fmds shown in Table 24 into six classes according to their and weights for all meteorites. A shower has, for this chemical composition. Within each class a range of textures purpose, been defmed as a fall that - in the air - exists which may be interpreted as representing progressive decomposed into two or more fragments, which were degrees of recrystallization, Table 24a (Van Schmus & subsequently recovered. Wood 1967; Dodd 1969). In Table 24b two typical 60 Classification Table 23a. The Classification of Meteorites Symbol Class Characteristic Minerals Falls Total Example E Enstatite chondrites Enstatite, nickel-iron 11 16 Hvittis H Olivine-bronzite chondrites Olivine, bronzite, nickel-iron 224 450 Hessle L 0 livine-"hypersthene" chondrites Olivine, bronzite, nickel-iron 256 461 Bjurbole LL Amphoterites Olivine, bronz-hyperst., plagioclase 49 64 Siena C3-4 Carbonaceous, Type 3-4 Olivine, pyroxene, organics 12 15 Allende C1-2 Carbonaceous, Type 1-2 1 Chlorite4, sulfates, organics 21 21 Orgueil Anomalous chondrites2 1 3 Winona CHONDRITES Total: 574 1030 Au Enstatite, forsterite 8 9 Norton County Aubdt" } Ca-poor Di Diogenites Bronzite, clinobronzite 8 8 Johnstown (0.3-1.9%) u Ureilites Olivine, nickel-iron, diamond 3 6 Novo-Urei Ho Howardites } Ca-rich Hypersthene, bytownite 17 19 Kapoeta Eu Eucrites (3-8%) Pigeonite, bytownite 20 23 Stannern Anomalous achondrites3 Ti-augite; olivine; chromite 4 5 Nakhla ACHONDRITES Total: 60 70 p Pallasites Olivine, nickel-iron 2 33 Imilac M Mesosiderites Pyroxene, bytownite, nickel-iron 6 20 Estherville Anomalous stony irons Pyroxene, nickel-iron; tridymite 6 Lodran STONY IRONS Total: 9 59 Coarse i~clusion-rich octahedrites Kam., taen., graphi., silic., carbides 5 69 Canyon Diablo I-An Inclusion-rich irons Kam., taen., graphi., silic., carbides 2 19 Copiapo IIA Hexahedrites Kamacite, daubreelite 4 43 Coahuila liB Coarsest octahedrites Kamacite, taenite 1 14 Sikhote-Alin IIC Plessitic octahedrites Kamacite, taenite 0 7 Ballinoo liD Medium octah. (10-11.5% Ni) Kamacite, taenite 2 11 Carbo IliA Medium octah. (7-8.8% Ni) Kama cite, taenite, troili te 4 117 Cape York IIIB Medium octah. (8 .6-10.6% Ni) Kamacite, taenite, phosphates 1 40 Chupaderos IIIC Fine octah.(l0.5-13.5%Ni) Kamacite, taenite, carbides 1 6 Mungindi IIID Finest octahedrites Kamacite, taenite, carbides 0 5 Tazewell IIIE Coarse octahedrites Kamacite, taenite, cohenite, graphite 0 7 Kokstad IVA Fine octah. (7 .5-10% Ni) Kamacite, taenite 1 39 Gibeon IVB Ataxites Kamacite, taenite 0 11 Hob a Anomalous irons Kam., taen., silicate, graphite 4 92 Nedagolla Unclassified irons 7 52 Armanty IRONS Total: 32 532 METEORITES Total: 675 1691 1) Also in some systems classified as olivine-pigeon.ite chondrites, or HL chondrites. 2) Kakangari, Winona, Mount Morris (Wisconsin). 3) Chassigny, Angra dos Reis, Nakhla, Lafayette, Shergotty 4) Chlorite or serpentine; identification very difficult (Mason 1972). chondrites from each petrologic type have been selected for class. In many instances chemical and textural similarities illustration. The numbers within the boxes indicate how may only indicate formation of meteorites under similar many of the classified meteorites that had been studied, at conditions and from similar starting material, so it is the time of writing, with respect to their petrologic type. possible that many of the recognized classes had already The systematic arrangement does not imply that, e.g., the acquired their characteristic composition independently by meteorites Adhi-Kot, Abee, St. Marks and Hvittis necessar differentiation in the solar nebula. One can still say with ily represent a metamorphic rock sequence, since significant Wiik (1956): initial variations also seem to have been present within a "This [system] is intended only to give a picture of the Classification 61 Table 23b. Statistical Data for All Meteorite Classes, as of Jan. 1, 1972 Class Falls Number of Falls Finds Finds Finds Total Number Shower-2 kg' Number kg' Falls Number kg' producing falls E3 1 0 4 0 0 0.0 1 4 E4 2 0 142 3 1 1.5 5 143 E5 2 0 28 0 0 0.0 2 28 E6 6 2 52 2 7 0.33 8 59 Enstatites 11 2 226 5 8 0.46 16 234 H3 4 1 40 5 309 1.25 9 349 H4 16 6 985 21 266 1.31 37 1251 H5 53 23 1057 23 210 0.44 76 1267 H6 30 13 486 14 871 0.46 44 1357 H no specification 121 49 869 163 1305 1.35 284 2174 Bronz. chondr. 224 92 3437 226 2961 1.01 450 6398 13 8 7 71 2 60 0.25 10 131 14 11 4 719 10 478 0.91 21 1197 15 23 13 862 21 494 0.91 44 1356 16 107 48 3118 48 1555 0.45 155 4673 1 no spec.

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