The Zakłodzie meteorite is a stony-iron meteorite found in Poland in 1998. Its mass is . It is composed predominantly from

enstatite Enstatite is a mineral; the magnesium endmember of the pyroxene silicate mineral series enstatite (MgSiO3) – ferrosilite (FeSiO3). The magnesium rich members of the solid solution series are common rock-forming minerals found in igneous and m ...

and

meteoric iron Meteoric iron, sometimes meteoritic iron, is a native metal and early-universe protoplanetary-disk remnant found in meteorites and made from the elements iron and nickel, mainly in the form of the mineral phases kamacite and taenite. Meteoric iro ...

. Currently classified as an ungrouped enstatite achondrite its classification is still an ongoing scientific debate.

Naming and history

The Zakłodzie meteorite was found beside a dirt road by Stanisław Jachymek who was searching for fossils and rocks. The site lies south of the village Zakłodzie (

Lublin Voivodeship The Lublin Voivodeship, also known as the Lublin Province (Polish: ''województwo lubelskie'' ), is a voivodeship (province) of Poland, located in southeastern part of the country. It was created on January 1, 1999, out of the former Lublin, Che� ...

), after which the meteorite is named. A fireball, which may well have been the Zakłodzie meteorite, was seen in the area of the find on 21 April 1897; its weathering is consistent with such an age. part slices were on sale at /g.

Mineralogy

The meteorite is composed of 60% orthoenstatite, 20%

, 10%

troilite Troilite is a rare iron sulfide mineral with the simple formula of FeS. It is the iron-rich endmember of the pyrrhotite group. Pyrrhotite has the formula Fe(1-x)S (x = 0 to 0.2) which is iron deficient. As troilite lacks the iron deficiency whic ...

and 10%

feldspar Feldspars are a group of rock-forming aluminium tectosilicate minerals, also containing other cations such as sodium, calcium, potassium, or barium. The most common members of the feldspar group are the ''plagioclase'' (sodium-calcium) feldsp ...

. Accessory minerals include

schreibersite Schreibersite is generally a rare iron nickel phosphide mineral, , though common in iron-nickel meteorites. It has been found on Disko Island in Greenland and Illinois. Another name used for the mineral is rhabdite. It forms tetragonal crystals w ...

oldhamite Oldhamite is a calcium magnesium sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . Ferrous iron may also be present in the mineral resulting in the chemical formula . It is a pale to dark brown accessory mineral in meteorites. It crystallizes in the cub ...

alabandite Alabandite or alabandine is a rarely occurring manganese sulfide mineral. It crystallizes in the cubic crystal system with the chemical composition Mn2+ S and develops commonly massive to granular aggregates, but rarely also cubic or octahedral ...

keilite Keilite is an iron-magnesium sulfide mineral with the chemical formula that is found in enstatite chondrites. Keilite is the iron-dominant analog of niningerite. Keilite is named after Klaus Keil (born 1934). Occurrences Examples of keilite occu ...

and

amphibole Amphibole () is a group of inosilicate minerals, forming prism or needlelike crystals, composed of double chain tetrahedra, linked at the vertices and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their structures. Its IMA symbol is A ...

. The meteoric iron has a Nickel content of 16%. The mineral composition is similar to an

enstatite chondrite Enstatite chondrites (E-type chondrites) are a rare form of meteorite, rich in the mineral enstatite. Only about 200 E-Type chondrites are currently known, comprising about 2% of the chondrites that fall on Earth.Norton, O.R. and Chitwood, L.A. F ...

with strongly metamorphosed

chondrules A chondrule (from Ancient Greek χόνδρος ''chondros'', grain) is a round grain found in a chondrite. Chondrules form as molten or partially molten droplets in space before being accreted to their parent asteroids. Because chondrites repres ...

. A second interpretation is that the textures are a result of cumulate crystallization or an impact-melt breccia. It's the type locality of two minerals: browneite (IMA 2012-008) and buseckite (IMA 2011-070).

Classification

The meteorite was classified as an "ungrouped enstatite-rich meteorite" in 2000. In 2005 it was proposed that the meteorite was the product of magma crystallization and therefore an achondrite. The magma originated from the partial melt of an

source. It was therefore proposed that the Zakłodzie meteorite should be classified as a "primitive enstatite achondrite". It was classified as an Aubrite-an (anomalous) in 2006. Currently the recommended classification is that the Zakłodzie meteorite is an ungrouped enstatite achondrite. Some scientists propose that many

aubrite Aubrites are a group of meteorites named for Aubres, a small achondrite meteorite that fell near Nyons, France, in 1836. They are primarily composed of the orthopyroxene enstatite and are often called enstatite achondrites. Their igneous origin se ...

s and enstatite achondrites are in fact impact breccias or impact-melt breccias. The later being proposed for Zakłodzie and NWA 4301. The main arguments for this hypothesis are the relics of

, the euhedral

s surrounded by

and the occurrence of

Keilite Keilite is an iron-magnesium sulfide mineral with the chemical formula that is found in enstatite chondrites. Keilite is the iron-dominant analog of niningerite. Keilite is named after Klaus Keil (born 1934). Occurrences Examples of keilite occu ...

is possibly a product of reactions that take place when enstatite achondrites are melted and

quenched In materials science, quenching is the rapid cooling of a workpiece in water, oil, polymer, air, or other fluids to obtain certain material properties. A type of heat treating, quenching prevents undesired low-temperature processes, such as phas ...

(a quick decrease in temperature). This could happen during impact events on the surface of the parent body.

References

Mindat.org - Zaklodzie meteorite, Zamość, Lubelskie, Poland

External links

A comprehensive description of Zaklodzie
David Weir, MeteoriteStudies.com. {{Meteorites by name Achondrite meteorites Meteorites found in Poland 1998 in Poland

Naming and history

Mineralogy

Classification

See also

References

External links