EXTRATERRESTRIAL PERIDOT IN A SECTION OF AN ADMIRE METEORITE

As the previous lot, Admire is also a member of the pallasite group of meteorites, widely considered to be the most beautiful otherworldly substance known. All of the world’s known meteorites weigh less than the world’s annual output of gold—and pallasites are rarer still as they represent less than 0.2% of all meteorites. Pallasites formed at the mantle-core boundary of an asteroid when stony olivine (a magnesium-rich silicate) settled atop the edge of the asteroid’s molten iron core and became suspended in the metallic matrix. Originating from the asteroid belt, the first two masses of Admire were ploughed up by a famer in Lyon County, Illinois in 1881.
Gem-quality olivine—the gemstone peridot (birthstone of August)—is present in this specimen. The olivine grains in Admire are somewhat rounded and angular, indicating recrystallization following an impact event in interplanetary space.