Description
Pallasites are perhaps the most alluring of all meteorites, and they are certainly of great interest to collectors and enthusiasts. Pallasites consist of a nickel-iron matrix rich in colorful olivine crystals. When olivine crystals are of sufficient purity and display an emerald- green color, they are known as the gemstone peridot.
When cut and polished into thin slabs, the crystals in pallasites sometimes become translucent (as shown here), giving them a remarkable otherworldly beauty. While micro-diamonds have been found in some meteorites, notably the carbonaceous chondrite Allende , pallasites are the only meteorites that contain gemstones easily visible to the naked eye.
Pallasites are believed to have formed at the core/mantle boundary of large asteroids and they are extremely rare. As of 2021, out of the approximately 70,000 officially recognized meteorites, there are only 170 known pallasites.
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