Question

Iron Meteorites are composed mostly of ________ & ______. When sliced open, polished, and etched they expose ___________ patterns which basically shows that the metal cooled from a molten state very slowly.

Answer 1

Iron meteorites primarily consist of nickel and iron, and they display Widmanstätten patterns when polished and etched, indicating a slow cooling process from a molten state. These patterns are found in iron meteorites, which are differentiated and made from the metal cores of their parent bodies in space.

Step-by-step explanation:

Iron meteorites are composed mostly of nickel and iron. When sliced open, polished, and etched, they expose Widmanstätten patterns, which indicate that the metal cooled from a molten state very slowly over millions of years. This slow cooling process occurred in the iron cores of differentiated parent bodies in space before the meteorites were separated and eventually fell to Earth. Because these irons come from such cores, they can show us valuable information about the early solar system and the formation process of celestial bodies.

The traditional classification of meteorites divides them into three main types: irons, stones, and stony-irons. The irons, like the ones being discussed, are composed nearly entirely of metallic nickel-iron and are considered differentiated meteorites.