{"product_id":"meteorite-aletai-239g-xinjiang-china-meal73","title":"Aletai Meteorite 23.9g – Xinjiang, China - MEAL73","description":"\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eType: Iron meteorite \/ IIIE-an\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLocation: Xinjiang, China\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWeight: 23.9g\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSize: 52 x 17 x 8 mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYear of discovery: 1898\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKnown total weight: 74 tonnes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSurface treatment: Cut and Polished on multiple sides\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDETAILED DESCRIPTION\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eAletai Meteorite – The Iron Wonder of the IIIE Group\nThe Aletai meteorite belongs to the IIIE group, which is a specific type of iron meteorite. This classification includes meteorites with certain chemical compositions and crystallographic structures. Meteorites in this group tend to display an octahedral structure, meaning that when cut and polished, they reveal characteristic patterns known as Widmanstätten figures. IIIE meteorites, like Aletai, are characterized by the presence of kamacite (low-nickel iron) and taenite (high-nickel iron) bands that form the octahedral pattern.\nUniqueness of the Aletai meteorite\nThe Aletai is exceptional for the highest concentration of gold among meteorites of the IIIE group and a significantly higher iridium concentration than others in the same group. Since the amount of iridium in meteorites is much higher than that in the Earth's crust, the unusually high iridium concentration found at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary 65 million years ago formed the basis of the theory that a massive meteorite impact may have been responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs.\nDiscovery and distribution\nThe meteorite was discovered in 1898 in China's Xinjiang region. The total mass found is estimated to be approximately 74 tonnes. The largest fragment weighs 28 tonnes, making it the fifth largest meteorite on Earth. The impact field covered an area up to 500 kilometers, initially causing discrepancies in identification and naming. Different names such as Armanty and Ulasitai were later unified under the name Aletai after chemical analysis.\nMineralogy and visual effects\nAn interesting feature is that when the angle of light changes, the reflectivity of the main alloys changes and the sample sparkles. This effect is typical for octahedral structures, but Aletai is particularly spectacular due to the presence of mirror-like shiny inclusions of the mineral schreibersite.\nSchreibersite is considered the primary source of phosphorus, which may have played a crucial role in the origin of life on Earth. It is composed of iron-nickel phosphide, with colors ranging from bronze to silvery white. This mineral is commonly found in iron meteorites such as Magura (Slovakia), Sikhote-Alin (Russia), Gebel Kamil (Egypt), and São Julião de Moreira (Portugal).\nThe name comes from the Austrian scientist Carl Franz Anton Ritter von Schreibers, one of the first to identify this mineral.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"PeltramMinerals","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58027750228293,"sku":"MEAL73","price":140.36,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0881\/1659\/2965\/files\/49268_photoroom-018-20250704-100255.jpg?v=1779377733","url":"https:\/\/moldavite.it\/en\/products\/meteorite-aletai-239g-xinjiang-china-meal73","provider":"Moldavite.it","version":"1.0","type":"link"}