stony meteorite

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stony meteorite

(stone) A type of meteorite that consists of silicate minerals generally with some nickel-iron. The two main subgroups are termed chondrites and achondrites, depending on the presence or absence of chondrules. The great majority (about 95%) of meteorites seen to fall to Earth are stony meteorites, and most of these are chondrites.

Collins Dictionary of Astronomy © Market House Books Ltd, 2006

stony meteorite

[′stō·nē ′mēd·ē·ə‚rīt]

(geology)

Any meteorite composed principally of silicate minerals, especially olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase. Also known as aerolite; asiderite; meteoric stone; meteorolite; stone.

References in periodicals archive ?

Explain that the "A" group represents stony meteorites. The "B" group represents stony-iron meteorites, and the "C" group represents iron meteorites.

Meteors

What we think we know is that the S-type asteroids are the source of the ordinary chondrites, which are the most common stony meteorites that fall on Earth.

Space Rock Rendezvous: This summer, two spacecraft will bear down on their target asteroids, preparing to snatch rubble and bring it home to scientists

Most meteorites are stony and of the stony meteorites, almost all (90 percent) are what are called ordinary chondrites.

Meteorites found in Morocco could be from Mercury

New evidence from old rocks suggests that many of the precious metals mined today were delivered to the planet by stony meteorites called chondrites in a bombardment that lasted for hundreds of millions of years.

Earthly riches may be heaven-sent: meteorites possibly peppered planet with precious metals

"The stony meteorites were identified on the basis of their metallic iron content.

Is There Water On Mars?

Collected fragments are ordinary chondrites, stony meteorites that make up 85% of all meteorites recovered.

Russian meteor wreaks havoc

Small, stony meteorites typically break up high in the atmosphere (SN: 7/19/03, p.

Blast survivors: fragments of asteroid found in ancient crater

On the red planet, iron meteorites are more common than stony meteorites, probably because they are better at resisting erosion.

Curiosity Checks Out 'Egg Rock' On Mars

The majority of stony meteorites are chondrites, so named because they contain chondrules--spherical grains of silicate materials unlike anything found on Earth.

Touching the stars without leaving home: hunting and collecting meteorites is a way you can own ancient material from outer space

Ground-based observations indicate that Vesta represents the only known parent of a class of stony meteorites called basaltic achondrites.

Solar system scenes: images and spectra offer new views from Venus to Pluto

Initial tests revealed that the large rock is an ordinary chondrite - stony meteorites that are commonly found in Earth.

Large Meteorite Discovered in Antarctica [VIDEO]

The relative abundance of certain long-lived radioactive isotopes in stony meteorites suggests that the galaxy ranges in age from 9 to 15 billion years.