In the year 2,000, a Chinese dealer purchased an unusual-looking rock weighing around a ton. He cleaned it off, removing 20 kilograms (44 lb) from it, and then took the rock (a gleaming mass of crystals and iron) to a Gem and Mineral Show in Tucson, Arizona. At the show, Dr. Dante Lauretta, a professor of Planetary Science and Cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona realized just how special the rock was.
This was a meteorite, but not any meteorite. It was a pallasite, a rare and dazzling class of meteorites that offer clues to the formation of planets, stars, and the solar system itself.
What Are Pallasites?
Pallasites belong to a rare type of stony-iron meteorite. They are made up of a mix of nickel-iron metal and olivine crystals, a mineral that, on Earth, can be found in the mantle (or rocks that originate in the mantle). Scientists believe pallasites come from the boundary between the core and mantle of differentiated planetary bodies—planetesimals—that were destroyed in cataclysmic collisions billions of years ago.
To picture a pallasite, imagine a glowing gemstone encased in metal. The most visually striking aspect of these meteorites is the olivine crystals, which often range from green to yellow to brown, depending on their iron content. When thin slices of pallasites like Fukang are cut and polished, the crystals become translucent, creating a stunning mosaic of space and stone. The Fukang meteorite, in particular, is known for its large, gem-quality olivine crystals that make it one of the most spectacular meteorites ever found.
Pallasites are the rarest of all meteorites: less than 1% of all found meteorites are pallasites.
Finding a Unique Pallasite
In 2000, an unnamed hiker in the Fukang region of China stumbled upon what appeared to be an unusually large and heavy rock. When the hiker decided to investigate further, cutting a slice from the mass, the inner beauty of the meteorite was revealed: shimmering olivine crystals, golden in the sunlight, trapped in a metallic matrix. This chance discovery was not only visually stunning, but it would soon become one of the most significant meteorite finds of the century.
The Fukang meteorite weighs a staggering 1,003 kilograms (over 2,200 pounds), making it one of the largest pallasite meteorites ever recovered. Subsequent analysis confirmed its extraterrestrial origin and revealed it to be an ancient relic from the early solar system, approximately 4.5 billion years old. The meteorite was broken into smaller pieces for study and sale, but its original mass remains one of the most scientifically important and visually captivating pallasites ever found.
What sets the Fukang meteorite apart is not just its size but the clarity and quality of its olivine crystals. These crystals are unusually large—some as big as golf balls—and are scattered throughout a nickel-iron matrix. In polished cross-sections, the crystals glow with a golden-green hue when illuminated by light, making the meteorite appear almost otherworldly.
The composition of the Fukang meteorite is typical of pallasites, with about 50% of its mass made up of nickel-iron alloy and the remaining 50% consisting of olivine crystals. The olivine in Fukang is predominantly forsterite, a magnesium-rich variety of the mineral that often forms deep within planetary mantles. The balance of metal and silicate in Fukang, combined with the remarkable transparency of its olivine crystals, provides scientists with an unparalleled glimpse into the internal structure of planetesimals.
What’s happening to it now?
One of the largest slices of the Fukang meteorite, weighing over 400 kilograms, was sold at auction in 2008 for a sum rumored to exceed $2 million. Other slices are displayed in museums, including the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where visitors can marvel at its shimmering beauty.
Scientists are still investigating the meteorite, gleaning clues about our solar system’s formation.
Meteorites, in general, play a crucial role in our understanding of the universe. These space rocks are some of the oldest materials in existence, with many dating back to the formation of the solar system 4.6 billion years ago. Because they are relatively unchanged since their formation, meteorites offer a “time capsule” view into the past. By studying meteorites, scientists can piece together the conditions that existed when the planets were just beginning to form.
