[meteorite-list] SHATTERCONES in TATAHOUINE

[James Tobin]

Hi Paul and List,
We were discussing this in Tucson with Norm Lehrman at the IMCA dinner. I have 
taken some pictures as well that will be in my Jim's Fragments article coming 
out in a couple days in Meteorite Times. The shattercones are visible in larger 
pieces with the naked eye and are a fascinating feature. You are correct also 
about the orientation of the cones it seems that they are arranged in several 
different and intermixed ways. I took some high resolution photographs and have 
included two in the article which we hope everyone will enjoy. We are pretty 
excited about this too. Hope to see more information about what this records of 
the powerful event which drove Tatahoine from its parent body. Jim Tobin



----- Original Message ----
From: Paul Gessler <cetuspa at shaw.ca>
To: meteorite-list meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
Sent: Wed, March 6, 2013 1:45:23 AM
Subject: [meteorite-list] SHATTERCONES in TATAHOUINE

I had a chance to cherry pick some larger sized Tatahouine nuggets from Alan 
Carion at the Tucson show
and have noticed what appear to be shattercones on many of the facets? On every 
side that is fractured
there are these chevron shaped interlaced lamellae/ flaring 
striations....however they don't seem to have just
one apex of orientation. On one surface I can see a cluster leading to the top 
as an apex point only to be met with
one splitting the others going the opposite direction and also creating a small 
platform.
It does make sense to me that Tathouine would exhibit this given its broken 
safety glass terminal deployment.
I think the largest piece found was the size of a small grapefruit and if you 
tapped it with a hammer it would
shatter into the smaller chunks we see more commonly.

I guess what I am saying is that this mass in space must have been a heavily 
fractured structure and subject
to multiple impact incidents followed by annealing then more impacts leaving 
over time heat and pressure
multi directional percussion striation. In essence shattercones.

Does anyone else see this? Any write ups on it that you are aware of? Got any 
examples in your collections
that show what I am talking about?

Let me here your thoughts please.
I am stuck in an endless winter with plenty of time to ponder such things.

I am aware that they may just be the natural clevage lines of the various 
minerals within.. but then why don't I
see this anywhere near as dramatic in other meteorites?

It would be neat to think of Tathouine as not just a unique Dioginite but also 
as some kind of relict impactite from
the crust of another asteroid. ???

You can see some pictures here that I took through my microscope at 25x


https://plus.google.com/photos/107261840007598315830/albums/5852125796528297633

Thanks-
Paul Gessler 
______________________________________________

Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com
Meteorite-list mailing list
Meteorite-list at meteoritecentral.com
http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list