Vermillion | |
---|---|
Type | Achondrite, pallasite |
Grouplet | Pyroxene pallasite grouplet |
Composition | Meteoric iron (~86%) silicates (~14%) |
Country | United States |
Region | Kansas |
Coordinates | 39°44′11″N 96°21′41″W / 39.73639°N 96.36139°W |
Observed fall | No |
Found date | 1991 |
TKW | 34.36 kilograms (75.8 lb) |
The Vermillion meteorite is a pallasite (stony-iron) meteorite and one of two members of the pyroxene pallasite grouplet.[1]
The meteorite was found near and was named after Vermillion, Marshall County, Kansas. It was found by two farmers while planting on a grain field in 1991. It was recognized as a meteorite and first described in 1995.[2]
Vermillion meteorite consists of around 86 volume-% meteoric iron and 14 % silicate minerals. The silicates include olivine (93% of silicates), orthopyroxene (5%), chromite (1.5%) and merrillite (0.5%).[3] Other accessory minerals include troilite, whitlockite,[1] and cohenite.[4]
The Vermillion meteorite is classified as a pyroxene pallasite because it contains pyroxene as an accessory mineral and shares a distinct oxygen isotope signature with Yamato 8451.[1] Some studies also object to this grouping, referring to the differences in siderophile trace elements and the occurrence of cohenite in the Vermillion meteorite.[4]