What is an Aubrite Meteorite?

Why in news?

• The pieces that fell in the two villages have been named the Diyodar meteorite, after the taluka in which the villages are located.
• This is only the second recorded crash of an aubrite in India. The last was on December 2, 1852, in Basti, Uttar Pradesh.
• Key facts about Aubrite meteorites
• Aubrite meteorites are coarse-grained igneous rocks that are formed in oxygen-poor conditions.
• They contain a variety of exotic minerals that are not found on Earth.
• The recently found aubrite meteorite in Gujarat is composed of orthopyroxene.

What are Pyroxenes?

• Pyroxenes are silicates consisting of single chains of silica tetrahedra (SiO 4)
• Pyroxenes such as diopside and jadeite have been used as gems.
• Spodumene was historically used as lithium ore and rocks with pyroxene have also been used to make a crushed stone that is used in construction.

 

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Q1) What is a meteorite?

A meteorite is a fragment of spatial matter that falls to the surface of a planet. Most meteorites that fall to Earth come from the Asteroid Belt. 

Source: Rare, unique: Diyodar meteorite in 2022 was India’s first aubrite in 170 years