Santiago Papasquiero meteorite, Mun. de Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango, Mexico

Iron meteorite, ungrouped ataxite (Iron, ung., D)
Find, 1958; 119.5 kg, single mass

Santiago Papasquiero, an unusual ataxite (7.5% Ni) was found about 135 km SW of the village of Santiago Papasquiero. Before cutting, the 50 x 30 x 20 cm mass had a mass of ~130 kg. The rusty exterior was partially covered with caliche and any remnants of a fusion crust were gone. In places limonite stains have penetrated into the interior where the kamacite has been preferentially attacked by terrestrial weathering. The interior is quite unusual — texturally, chemically, and mineralogically. Recrystallized kamacite, lacking any signs of an expected Widmanstätten pattern for an iron of this composition, is accompanied by dispersed taenite. Sulfide is quite evident, both as troilite and even as widely dispersed daubréelite. However, there are no signs of schreibersite (or, carbides). Indeed, the amount of phosphorous in the meteorite is exceedingly low in this both chemically and structurally anomalous ungrouped iron.

Santiago Papasquiero is one of 117 ungrouped iron meteorites listed with the Meteoritical Bulletin Database as of early September 2015. For several decades the main mass was held by Arizona State University in Tempe.

Mineral List

6 entries listed. 3 valid minerals.

References

External Links