NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Hardness of kamacite and shock histories of 119 meteorites.Use of metallographic and X-ray diffraction techniques to study the shock histories of 119 iron and stony-iron meteorites, and measurement of the hardness of kamacite in these specimens and in artificially shocked-unannealed and annealed meteorite specimens. Shock increases kamacite hardness, but complications introduced by other physical and chemical properties of meteorites limit its utility as a shock indicator. About 50% of the meteorites studied show evidence for preterrestrial shock loading to pressures of greater than or equal to 130 kb, and 40% have not been shocked to such high pressures. The remaining meteorites have been heat-altered in such a way that their shock histories cannot be determined explicitly. These results, together with those obtained previously, indicate that the plurality, if not the majority, of all iron and stony-iron meteorites sampled by the earth were shocked to pressures of greater than or equal to 130 kb during preterrestrial collisions between asteroidal-sized objects.
Document ID
19730031575
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Jain, A. V.
(Purdue University Lafayette, Ind., United States)
Gordon, R. B.
(Yale University New Haven, Conn., United States)
Lipschutz, M. E.
(Purdue University Lafayette, Ind.; Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel)
Date Acquired
August 7, 2013
Publication Date
December 10, 1972
Publication Information
Publication: Journal of Geophysical Research
Volume: 77
Subject Category
Space Sciences
Accession Number
73A16377
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGL-15-005-140
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSF GH-33574
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available