Rocks from Space Picture of the Day August 8, 2008
Julesburg:
L3.6, found in North-East Colorado in 1983.
This golden barred olivine chondrule was crushed by forces from the left
that pressed it against the structure on the right. Portions of the olivine
rim and plates have shifted past each other along a couple shear planes.
Less clean but more obvious are areas where sets of formerly parallel plates
have splayed apart or squashed together in response to being loaded edge on.
It appears that at the time of the damaging impact the olivine plates and
bars had solidified but the glass interstitial to the olivine plates - the
mesostasis - was still plastic. If not, the chondrule would have shattered.
Photo: Jeff Hodges
Caption: John Kashuba
Copyright: Anne Black - IMPACTIKA.com
Author & editor
M i c h a e l J o h n s o n
