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Flow lines |
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| Meteorite: Antarctica, chondrite,
unclassified. Meteorite: Bilanga, achondrite, diogenite. |
| Figure 1.. Scale bar 7 mm. |
| Meteorite: Antarctica, chondrite, unclassified. |
| Flow lines, fold-over lip, oriented. |
| Meteoroids travel through Earth’s
atmosphere at incredibly high speeds, typically ranging from 11 km/s to 72 km/s
(about 25,000 mph to 160,000 mph). The exact speed depends on various factors,
including the meteoroid’s size, composition, and the angle at which it
enters the atmosphere. The temperatures at which fusion crusts form can vary, but they generally occur between 1,300°C to 1,600° C. The exact temperature depends on several factors that include speed of the meteoroid, its composition, and its size. As a meteoroid travels through the atmosphere, its surface heats up and begins to melt due to friction. This molten material can flow across the surface, creating thin, streak-like patterns known as flow lines. These are typically found on the fusion crust, the thin, glassy outer layer that forms as the molten material cools and solidifies. Flow lines are more common on oriented meteorites, which maintain a stable orientation during their descent. This stability allows the molten material to flow in a consistent direction, creating more pronounced patterns of lines. |
| Figure 2. Scale bar 4 mm. |
| Meteorite: Antarctica, chondrite, unclassified. |
| Flow lines, oriented. |
| Figure 3. Scale bar 20 mm. |
| Meteorite: Bilanga, achondrite, diogenite. |
| Flow lines, oriented. |
| Figure 4. Scale bar 8 mm. |
| Meteorite: Bilanga, achondrite, diogenite. |
| Flow lines, oriented. |
| Figure 5. Scale bar 8 mm. |
| Meteorite: Bilanga, achondrite, diogenite. |
| Flow lines, oriented. |
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