What primary material constitutes Iron meteorites, representing shattered parent body cores?
Answer
Iron-nickel alloy
Iron meteorites are primarily composed of an iron-nickel alloy. This composition signifies that these objects originate from the cores of larger, differentiated parent bodies that fragmented long ago. Because these cores separated early in the parent body's history, they are rich in metal elements. When these iron meteorites are subjected to specialized preparation techniques, such as cutting and polishing, they often display the remarkable Widmanstätten pattern. This crystalline structure is a result of extremely slow cooling, taking place over millions of years deep within the interior of their original planetary fragments.
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