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The Mysteriously Stunning Meteorite On Earth

When it slammed into the surface of Earth, there was little sign of the beauty that lay inside. But cutting the Fukang meteorite open yielded a breathtaking sight.
There was hardly any trace of the attraction hidden within when Fukang first came into contact with Earth’s surface, penetrating the atmosphere. However, when scientists cut open the meteorite, a breathtaking sight emerged.

The Fukang Meteorite:

Discovered in the mountainous are of Fukang, China in 2000, the Fukang meteorite is a pallasite, a kind of stony-iron meteorite decorated with olivine crystals, aging around 4.5 billion years old.

History Of The Fukang Meteorite:

In 2003, near Fukang, China, a Chinese merchant acquired a concretion from Xinjiang Province, China, weighing 1,003 kg (around 2211 lbs).
The merchant extracted nearly 20 kg (44 lbs) from the main mass, before it was sent to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show in February 2005, where it was spotted by Dr. Dante Lauretta, a professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona.

Source: Getty Images

Later, it was examined at the Southwest Meteorite Center, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona by Dr. Lauretta and a research team consisting of Dolores Hill, Marvin Killgore, Daniella DellaGiustina, and Dr. Yulia Goreva, joined by Dr. Ian Franchi from Open University.

Categorization And Constitution Of The Fukang Pallasite:

There is large, gem quality olivine, or peridot in a nickel-iron matrix – nearly 50/50 mix of metal and olivine crystals in the Fukang pallasite.
Most pallasites have crystals that are dark cloudy and highly fractured. Conversely, there are a handful that have sparkling clear and less fractured olivines. Fukang indeed belongs to this handful with big and transparent crystals.
The olivines range in shape from rounded to angular, several of them are fractured and they vary in size from less than five millimetres to several centimetres.

Source: Getty Images

The main mass contains several regions of massive olivine clusters up to eleven centimetres in diameter with thin metal veins. Fo86.4 with molar Fe/Mg = 0.1367, Fe/Mn = 40.37, and Ni = 0.03 wt%.
The metal matrix is mostly kamacite with an average nickel content of 6.98 wt%. Vermicular sulfide (troilite) is present in some olivine. Oxygen isotopes: δ18O 2.569 ‰, δ17O 1.179 ‰, ∆1 7O = −0.157 ‰.

Fukang Meteorite Specimens:

The University of Arizonia keeps a section weighing 31 kg of type specimen, while Marvin Killgore holds the same amount of additional section.
In April 2008, Bonhams offered the main mass for auction at their Manhattan auction. Bonhams expected to fetch 2,000,000 USD, but the lot remained unsold. A “window” area of 19 by 36 inches was cut and polished to provide a view into the gem areas of the meteorite.
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