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achondrite

 
Dictionary: a·chon·drite   (ā-kŏn'drīt') pronunciation
 
n.

A stony meteorite that contains no chondrules.

achondritic a'chon·drit'ic (-drĭt'ĭk) adj.
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WordNet: achondrite
 
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a stony meteor lacking chondrules


 
Wikipedia: Achondrite
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A Eucrite achondrite from the Millbillillie meteorite shower.

An achondrite (from the Greek a-, meaning without) is a stony meteorite that does not contain chondrules. It consists of material similar to terrestrial basalts or plutonic rocks and has been differentiated and reprocessed to a lesser or greater degree due to melting and recrystallization on or within meteorite parent bodies. As a result, achondrites have distinct textures and mineralogies indicative of igneous processes. [1]

Achondrites account for about 8% of meteorites overall, and the majority (about two thirds) of them are HED meteorites, originating from the crust of asteroid 4 Vesta. Other types include Martian, Lunar, and several types thought to originate from as-yet unidentified asteroids other than Vesta. These groups have been determined on the basis of e.g. the Fe/Mn chemical ratio and the 17O/18O oxygen isotope ratios, thought to be characteristic "fingerprints" for each parent body.[2]

Achondrites are classified into the following groups:

References

  1. ^ B. Mason, Meteorites. John Wiley, New York 1962.
  2. ^ Mittlefehldt, McCoy, Goodrich and Kracher: Non-chondritic Meteorites from Asteroidal Bodies, In: Reviews in Mineralogy Vol. 36, Planetary Materials, Mineralogical Society of America, 1998.

 
 
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Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Achondrite" Read more