A structural insight into the Chelyabinsk meteorite: neutron diffraction, tomography and Raman spectroscopy study

Abstract

The internal structural organization and phase composition of a fragment of the Chelyabinsk meteorite have been studied using neutron diffraction, tomography methods, optical microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. The bulk mineral composition of the meteorite and spatial distribution of different components were determined. In addition to previously found phases of olivine, orthopyroxene, plagioclase and troilite, the obtained data of optical microscopy and neutron diffraction provide evidence of the presence of kamacite phase in the studied meteorite fragment. The heterogeneous distribution of the iron in the olivine and orthopyroxene phases was observed, the morphological calculations were used to analyze the spatial arrangement of metal components.