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A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE STUDY OF OLIVINE CRYSTAL SURFACES
Author(s) -
Olsen Edward J.,
Grossman Lawrence
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
meteoritics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 0026-1114
DOI - 10.1111/j.1945-5100.1974.tb00080.x
Subject(s) - olivine , meteorite , murchison meteorite , sublimation (psychology) , geology , crystal (programming language) , allende meteorite , chondrite , igneous rock , mineralogy , scanning electron microscope , carbonaceous chondrite , geochemistry , astrobiology , materials science , physics , psychology , composite material , computer science , psychotherapist , programming language
SEM photographs were taken of euhedral olivine grains from the Murchison C2 chondrite and several terrestrial and lunar occurrences. In general, the crystal faces of the meteorite grains are rough and uneven, with irregular growth patterns. They are very similar to crystal faces on terrestrial olivine grains that formed by sublimation from a vapor phase. They are very different from the relatively smooth and featureless surfaces of magmatic olivine crystals that precipitated from igneous melts. Qualitatively, the surface morphology of the crystal supports the contention that many euhedral crystals of olivine in C2 meteorites condensed from a gas phase.