Messengers from Space: A Scanning Electron Microscopy Investigation
- The macro- and microstructure of iron meteorites provide valuable insights into both the inner structure of our planet and the history of our solar system. High speed collision events in the asteroid belt send the meteorites careening toward Earth. The collisions produce unique deformation microstructures. With cooling rates on the scale of a few degrees per million years, iron meteorites can consist of crystal sizes on the order of meters prior to the collision events. These extremely slow cooling rates result in phase transformations occurring at conditions near thermodynamic equilibrium. Preserving meteorite fragments is important for future studies of phase transformations, material behavior at high strain rates, and the origin of the universe.