Meteorite class · Meteorite

Iron meteorite

Fe–Ni alloy (kamacite, taenite)

Iron meteorites are the nickel-iron cores of shattered asteroids, sold as whole regmaglypted individuals (Sikhote-Alin, Campo del Cielo, Canyon Diablo) and as etched slices showing the Widmanstätten pattern (Gibeon, Muonionalusta, Seymchan). They are classed by structure (octahedrite, hexahedrite, ataxite) and chemistry (IAB, IIIAB and so on), not as minerals; their minerals are kamacite and taenite. Weight, magnetism, nickel content and the etch pattern authenticate them.

Formula	Fe–Ni alloy (kamacite, taenite)
IMA status	meteorite
Mohs hardness	4–5
Group	Meteorite
Type locality	None

Fakes and treatments

Slag, magnetite and terrestrial iron are sold as meteorites; a nickel test and Widmanstätten pattern confirm. Gibeon export from Namibia has been banned since 2004, and Argentina restricts Campo del Cielo exports, so provenance matters. Irons rust: keep them dry and oiled.

Elsewhere

Cite this article

Stratum Study. "Iron meteorite" (Mineral). Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19. https://stratum.black/study/minerals/iron-meteorite. Accessed 2026-09-20.

BibTeX · CSL-JSON

@misc{stratum-iron-meteorite,
  title        = {Iron meteorite},
  author       = {{Stratum Study}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/study/minerals/iron-meteorite}},
  year         = {2026},
  note         = {Mineral article, Stratum Study pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-19; sources: stratum, wikidata, commons. Accessed 2026-09-20.}
}

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