The origin of metal clasts in the Bencubbin meteoritic breccia

The Bencubbin meteorite is a shock-welded breccia consisting of a diverse collection of metal and silicate clasts. Several types of evidence suggest that the metal clasts in Bencubbin retain chemical abundances that were established during condensation. The Cr, Ni, P and trace element abundances are consistent with condensation calculations and are much closer to the predicted compositions of metal condensates than the CM metal particles. In addition, petrographic and chemical evidence strongly suggest that the breccia components were incorporated as solid clasts within the breccia prior to a shock heating event of very short duration, which did not produce significant metamorphic effects.