Plessite
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Plessite is a meteorite texture consisting of a fine-grained mixture of the minerals
kamacite Kamacite is an alloy of iron and nickel, which is found on Earth only in meteorites. According to the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) it is considered a proper nickel-rich variety of the mineral native iron. The proportion iron:ni ...
and
taenite Taenite is a mineral found naturally on Earth mostly in iron meteorites. It is an alloy of iron and nickel, with a chemical formula of and nickel proportions of 20% up to 65%. The name is derived from the Greek ταινία for "band, ribbon" ...
found in the
octahedrite Octahedrites are the most common structural class of iron meteorites. The structures occur because the meteoric iron has a certain nickel concentration that leads to the exsolution of kamacite out of taenite while cooling. Structure Octahedri ...
iron meteorite Iron meteorites, also known as siderites, or ferrous meteorites, are a type of meteorite that consist overwhelmingly of an iron–nickel alloy known as meteoric iron that usually consists of two mineral phases: kamacite and taenite. Most iron ...
s. It occurs in gaps (its name is derived from the Greek "plythos" meaning "filling"according t
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) between the larger bands of kamacite and taenite which form Widmanstätten patterns. Many types of plessite exist and vary in formation mechanism and morphology. Some types of plessite as named by Buchwald's "Iron Meteorites" and Massalski's "Speculations about Plessite" are: *acicular or type I plessite *black or type II plessite *cellular or type III plessite *comb plessite *net plessite *pearlitic plessite *spheroidized plessite


See also

*
Glossary of meteoritics This is a glossary of terms used in meteoritics, the science of meteorites. # * 2 Pallas – an asteroid from the asteroid belt and one of the likely parent bodies of the CR meteorites. * 4 Vesta – second-largest asteroid in the asteroid b ...


References

*Goldstein, J. I. Michael, J. R., 2006, "The formation of plessite in meteoritic metal", Meteoritics & Planetary Science Vol 41; No. 4, pages 553-570
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