Allende Meteorite Thin Section
Thin sections of the Allende Meteorite provide some of my favorite scenes from the ancient Solar System. Viewed with a microscope in cross polarized light, the chondrules in combination with the CAIs appear about as out-of-this-world as any image of Saturn or the Carina Nebula.
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NWA 2824 Meteorite Thin Section
Cross polarized thin section of NWA 2824, a diogenite with a multitude of white-gray needle like inclusions which, in their color and texture, resemble those found in the Ibitira Meteorite Thin Section. These are described as “Plagioclase recrystallized into complex spherulitic textures.” See this link for more classification information on diogenites.
Impactika has nice close-up images of the the plagioclase textures: TS Image 1 and TS Image 2
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NWA 7325 Meteorite Thin Section
The ungrouped achondrite meteorite NWA 7325 originates from a differentiated parent body. Based on various analyses it has been determined that the meteorite shares characteristics with Mercury — or a parent body of similar composition to Mercury. The thin section displays several areas which have trails of bubbles preserved in the minerals at the time of crystallization. More scientific details about NWA 7325 can be found at Meteorite Studies.
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