Plessite is a meteorite texture consisting of a fine-grained mixture of the minerals kamacite and taenite found in the octahedrite iron meteorites. It occurs in gaps (its name is derived from the Greek "plythos" meaning "filling"[1]) between the larger bands of kamacite and taenite which form Widmanstätten patterns.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.chinapedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/64/A_Kaposf%C3%BCred_vasmeteorit_s%C3%A1vjainak_sz%C3%A9les%C3%A9ge.jpg/220px-A_Kaposf%C3%BCred_vasmeteorit_s%C3%A1vjainak_sz%C3%A9les%C3%A9ge.jpg)
Many types of plessite exist and vary in formation mechanism and morphology. Some types of plessite as named by Buchwald's "Iron Meteorites" and Massalski's "Speculations about Plessite" are:[citation needed]
- acicular or type I plessite
- black or type II plessite
- cellular or type III plessite
- comb plessite
- net plessite
- pearlitic plessite
- spheroidized plessite
See also
editReferences
edit- Goldstein, J. I. Michael, J. R., 2006, "The formation of plessite in meteoritic metal", Meteoritics & Planetary Science Vol 41; No. 4, pages 553-570. Full text online.