Section 1 – Pallasite Meteorite, Imilac

The illuminated slab of iron and olivine is the 408 g pallasite meteorite, Imilac, recovered 1822 in the Atacama Desert, Chile. It was acquired from the collection of Joachim Karl.

This slab was cut from a meteorite that is thought to have formed somewhere near the boundary of the iron core and olivine mantle of a differentiated parent body. It is made up of greenish crystals of the mineral olivine (also known as the gemstone peridot) embedded in an iron-nickel matrix. The crystals are translucent. With a thin slab like this one, light from behind may pass through the crystals making an impressive display.