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hexahedrite

A Dictionary of Astronomy | 1997 | 640 words | Copyright

hexahedrite A class of iron meteorite, containing not more than 4–6 % nickel. Hexahedrites consist of large cubic crystals of kamacite (an iron–nickel alloy) over 50 mm across, and they can be cleaved in three perpendicular directions along the faces of a hexahedron, hence their name. They display a pattern of fine lines called Neumann lines. The hexa-octahedrite meteorites are transitional between hexahedrites and octahedrites. In these meteorites the thickness of the kamacite plates (the band width) varies from 3 to 50 mm, most of the kamacite grains are rounded, and little or no taenite remains.

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