Yamato 691
Encyclopedia
The Yamato 691 is the 4.5 billion year old chondrite meteorite discovered by members of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition on the blue ice field of the Queen Fabiola Mountains
(Yamato Mountains) in Antarctica, on December 21, 1969.
, Mainz, Germany.
On April 2011, NASA and co-researchers from the United States, South Korea and Japan have found a new mineral named "Wassonite
" in Yamato 691.
. Minerals reported from the meteorite include:
Queen Fabiola Mountains
Queen Fabiola Mountains is a group of mountains in Antarctica, long, consisting mainly of seven small massifs which trend north-south, forming a partial barrier to the flow of inland ice. The mountains stand in isolation about southwest of the head of Lutzow-Holm Bay...
(Yamato Mountains) in Antarctica, on December 21, 1969.
History
Yamato 691 was one among 9 meteorite specimens identified by the Japanese Expedition Team in 1969. It was later studied at the Max Planck Institute for ChemistryMax Planck Institute for Chemistry
The Max Planck Institute for Chemistry is a scientific research institute under the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.Basic research in chemistry and related subjects is carried out at the four departments of the institute. The departments are independently led by their Directors.-The departments:The...
, Mainz, Germany.
On April 2011, NASA and co-researchers from the United States, South Korea and Japan have found a new mineral named "Wassonite
Wassonite
Wassonite is an extremely rare sulfide mineral with chemical formula TiS. Its discovery was announced in a 2011 NASA press release as a single small grain within an enstatite chondrite meteorite called "Yamato 691", which was found during a 1969 Japanese expedition to Antarctica...
" in Yamato 691.
Composition and classification
This meteorite is a stony enstatite chondriteEnstatite chondrite
Enstatite chondrites are a rare form of meteorite thought to comprise only about 2% of the chondrites that fall on Earth. Only about 200 E-Type chondrites are currently known....
. Minerals reported from the meteorite include:
- TroiliteTroiliteTroilite is a rare iron sulfide mineral with the simple formula of FeS. It is the iron rich endmember of the pyrrhotite group. Pyrrhotite has the formula FeS which is iron deficient...
- SpinelSpinelSpinel is the magnesium aluminium member of the larger spinel group of minerals. It has the formula MgAl2O4. Balas ruby is an old name for a rose-tinted variety.-Spinel group:...
- AugiteAugiteAugite is a single chain inosilicate mineral, 2O6. The crystals are monoclinic and prismatic. Augite has two prominent cleavages, meeting at angles near 90 degrees.-Characteristics:Augite is a solid solution in the pyroxene group...
- DiopsideDiopsideDiopside is a monoclinic pyroxene mineral with composition MgCaSi2O6. It forms complete solid solution series with hedenbergite and augite, and partial solid solutions with orthopyroxene and pigeonite. It forms variably colored, but typically dull green crystals in the monoclinic prismatic class...
- EnstatiteEnstatiteEnstatite is the magnesium endmember of the pyroxene silicate mineral series enstatite - ferrosilite . The magnesium rich members of the solid solution series are common rock-forming minerals found in igneous and metamorphic rocks...
- PigeonitePigeonitePigeonite is a mineral in the clinopyroxene group. It has a general formula of Si2O6. The calcium cation fraction can vary from 5% to 25%, with iron and magnesium making up the rest of the cations....
- AlbiteAlbiteAlbite is a plagioclase feldspar mineral. It is the sodium endmember of the plagioclase solid solution series. As such it represents a plagioclase with less than 10% anorthite content. The pure albite endmember has the formula NaAlSi3O8. It is a tectosilicate. Its color is usually pure white, hence...
- NephelineNephelineNepheline, also called nephelite , is a feldspathoid: a silica-undersaturated aluminosilicate, Na3KAl4Si4O16, that occurs in intrusive and volcanic rocks with low silica, and in their associated pegmatites...
- IronIronIron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
- OlivineOlivineThe mineral olivine is a magnesium iron silicate with the formula 2SiO4. It is a common mineral in the Earth's subsurface but weathers quickly on the surface....
- WassoniteWassoniteWassonite is an extremely rare sulfide mineral with chemical formula TiS. Its discovery was announced in a 2011 NASA press release as a single small grain within an enstatite chondrite meteorite called "Yamato 691", which was found during a 1969 Japanese expedition to Antarctica...
- discovered in April, 2011