Lead
"In 2011, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) bought a seemingly ordinary stone in an antique store in Los Angeles that was worth only $20 in the eyes of the owner, but the scientist bought it from the owner for a whopping $5,000."
What is the origin of this "stone"?
Why were scientists able to estimate the value of this "stone"?
What exactly is so special about "stone"?
This is a piece of foreign material from the universe - iron meteorite, the reason why the iron meteorite can reach such a high value is not only because it is a rare foreign substance, but more importantly, the beautiful pattern inside the iron meteorite is formed over a long period of time, what secrets does the pattern of the iron meteorite hide?
1. Iron meteorite is a foreign substance from the universe.
Life on Earth can survive in a stable environment, so for the existence of life, scientists have always looked to the universe to explore whether there are other life forms in the universe.
Although scientists have not found the so-called "aliens", a foreign substance from the universe has been found on Earth - meteorites.
Meteorite, also known as meteorite, is a type of stone that is a type of stone that is burned by celestial bodies in the universe after passing through the atmosphere and finally falls on the earth.
Meteorites are not rare on Earth, and dozens of tons of meteorites fall on Earth every year.
The content of nickel, iron and other metallic elements in ores is relatively rare, but these metallic elements are more common in the composition of meteorites.
This means that although meteorites are not rare on Earth, the content of these metallic elements in meteorites is very rare.
And the iron meteorite is one of the very special meteorites.
Although the number of iron meteorites on the earth is relatively small, it is a very common meteorite in the universe.
Iron meteorites are mainly composed of metallic elements, while ordinary meteorites are mainly composed of silicate minerals.
Iron meteorites are therefore also called "metal meteorites".
The inside of iron meteorites is usually smooth and even, and it looks very ordinary, but in these ordinary iron meteorites, there is a beautiful pattern of silver-gray all over the body, how is this "silver flower" formed?
How are iron meteorites formed?
2. The beautiful patterns inside the iron meteorite are formed over a long period of time.
Iron meteorite is a rare meteorite, and its formation process is very complex, which involves the "silver flower" inside the iron meteorite.
How is the "silver flower" of iron meteorites formed?
How are iron meteorites formed?
There are two main ways to classify iron meteorites:
One is the Weidemann pattern and the other is the chemical classification.
The Weidmann pattern is based on the structural characteristics of iron meteorites.
Through light microscopy, the dark streaks formed inside the iron meteorite can be observed, and this dark streak is the tectonic feature of the iron meteorite.
Dark streaks are caused by differences in the amount of nickel in the iron element, with the higher the nickel content, the darker the streaks.
Iron meteorites also have "Lamba" fringes, which are produced by the diffusion of nickel in iron, so the number and width of dark and "Lamba" streaks are very important characteristics of iron meteorites.
On the smooth surface of iron meteorites, fine silver stripes can often be seen, and this kind of streak is the pattern of iron meteorites.
The formation of the pattern is due to the different crystalline morphologies in the iron meteorite, which produces this streak.
The grains in iron meteorites are thick and fine, and the size of the grains is related to the width of the stripes, so scientists can easily classify iron meteorites by the shape of these stripes.
Another way to classify them is by the amount of nickel in iron meteorites.
Iron meteorites have very high levels of nickel, ranging from 10 to 40%, compared to 0.005% on Earth.
Iron meteorites can therefore be classified by differences in nickel content:
Iron meteorites with a nickel content of less than 5% are classified as iron meteorites;
Iron meteorites with a nickel content of between 5% and 10% are classified as ironstone iron;
Iron meteorites with a nickel content of more than 10% are classified as nickel-iron meteorites.
How is the "silver flower" inside an iron meteorite formed?
Inside the iron meteorite, there is actually a special mineral, which is called the metal "iron nickel".
The nickel content is very high, and the difference between the grains of the "iron-nickel" mineral and the grains of iron meteorites is that the structure of the grains of the former is cubic, while the grain structure of the latter is hexagonal.
The "iron-nickel" grains are relatively large, so these "iron-nickel" grains in iron meteorites can be easily seen.
The "silver flower" in iron meteorites is due to the formation of "iron-nickel" grains, which also shows that the "silver flowers" of iron meteorites are formed over time.
The formation of "iron-nickel" grains is very slow, so this special pattern is formed in the interior of the iron meteorite, and the "silver flower" pattern of an iron meteorite is full of artistic sense, which makes people love it, so the iron meteorite is often used for decoration, and even used in painting.
At present, there are two main types of iron meteorites that are most common on the market, namely silver camel iron meteorite and Goba meteorite.
3. The research and collection value of iron meteorites.
The Silver Camel Iron Meteorite is a typical red-hot meteorite, which can be seen from the number of dark streaks inside and the width of the streaks, and is a very rare iron meteorite.
The Goba meteorite is a fused meteorite, and the "silver flower" inside it is relatively ordinary.
The market price of iron meteorites can be said to be "you get what you pay for", and the price of iron meteorites in rare quantities is also very expensive.
In the market of iron meteorites, there are also many mixed eyes, such as some merchants will process iron ore or quartz stone on the earth to imitate the appearance of iron meteorites for sale.
The value of the iron meteorite is very high, not only because it is an alien substance from the universe, but more importantly, the pattern of the iron meteorite is formed after a long time, so the iron meteorite also has a high collection value.
Scientists and designers often find design inspiration from the patterns of iron meteorites, and apply the beautiful patterns of iron meteorites in paintings, decorations and other fields.
At the same time, iron meteorites are rich in metallic elements, so iron meteorites are often used in the field of health.
Studies have shown that the metal elements in iron meteorites can be used for health care in the human body, so many people will make iron meteorites into jewelry and wear them on their bodies.
However, there is also price speculation and fraud in the market of iron meteorites, so it is necessary to be more vigilant when buying iron meteorites.
Although there are many frauds, as a cosmic creation, iron meteorites are still an important object of human exploration and research, and the patterns hidden in the iron meteorite are also full of people's infinite desire to explore.
The pattern of the iron meteorite has a very strong cosmic atmosphere, implying that there are many mysteries hidden in the universe that we do not know, and also hinting at the magical power of nature.
The pattern of the iron meteorite has been formed over a long period of time, but the pattern of the iron meteorite is so beautiful, and what kind of secret does the pattern of the iron meteorite hide?
What kind of insights can the artistic sense and modernity of iron meteorite bring to people?
The value of iron meteorites lies not only in research and collection, but also in their potential use in the field of health, and there may be more new applications to be discovered in the future.
For the phenomenon of price speculation and fraud in the market of iron meteorites, it is necessary to remind people to be rational and vigilant when buying and investing, and scientific education and market supervision are also particularly important.
The study and appreciation of iron meteorites makes people think more deeply about the relationship between the universe and human beings, and stimulates infinite imagination and desire to explore.