Figure 8-12: R I V U X G
Primitive Meteorite This is a cross-section from a fragment of the Allende meteorite that landed in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1969. A fireball was observed at 1:05 a.m. local time, and over the next 25 years about 3 tons of meteorite fragments were collected over an 8 km by 50 km area. Radioactive dating yields an age of 4.57 billion years, corresponding to the very early solar system. The meteorite contains rocks and metals that are consistent with the inner solar system and is thought to come from a smashed-up planetesimal.
Primitive Meteorite This is a cross-section from a fragment of the Allende meteorite that landed in Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1969. A fireball was observed at 1:05 a.m. local time, and over the next 25 years about 3 tons of meteorite fragments were collected over an 8 km by 50 km area. Radioactive dating yields an age of 4.57 billion years, corresponding to the very early solar system. The meteorite contains rocks and metals that are consistent with the inner solar system and is thought to come from a smashed-up planetesimal.
(ChinellatoPhoto/Shutterstock)