Quote:
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Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
In fact there is no absolutely guaranteed way to identify meteoritic material. In my opinion it probably has a slightly prickly feel, but who is to say that some other material does not have a similar feel?
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It can be done well enough for practical purposes,
if the material hasn't been heated enough to change the original crystal structure, and the meteorite has distinctive crystal structure from very slow cooling (i.e.,
Widmanstätten structure). E.g.,
this study of iron blades in Shang bronze axes. Widmanstätten structure is supposed to be able to survive cold working, and moderate heat. 1000C is too much.
A nice paper on the topic of trying to identify meteoric iron:
E. Photos (1989): The question of meteoritic versus smelted nickel‐rich iron: Archaeological evidence and experimental results, World Archaeology, 20:3, 403-421.
31st May 2012, 06:45 AM
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