Meteoroids and Meteorites:Meteorites have proven difficult to classify, but the three broadest groupings are stony, stony iron, and iron. The most common meteorites are chondrites, which are stony meteorites. Radiometric dating of chondrites has placed them at the age of 4.55 billion years, which is the approximate age of the solar system. They are considered pristine samples of early solar system matter, although in many cases their properties have been modified by thermal metamorphism or icy alteration. Some meteoriticists have suggested that the different properties found in various chondrites suggest the location in which they were formed. Enstatite chondrites contain the most refractory elements and are believed to have formed in the inner solar system. Ordinary chondrites, being the most common type containing both volatile and oxidized elements, are thought to have formed in the inner asteroid belt. Carbonaceous chondrites, which have the highest proportions of volatile elements and are the most oxidized, are thought to have originated in even greater solar distances. Each of these classes can be further subdivided into smaller groups with distinct properties.
For earth: Silicates are the most common form of rock found on the Earth's surface. Quartz is the most common form of silicate mineral, and other abundant minerals are combinations of sodium, calcium, and aluminum with silicates. Igneous rocks form when volcanic lava or magma cools and solidifies. Sedimentary rocks are accumulation of rock fragments. Fossils are only found in sedimentary rocks. Metamorphic rocks are igneous or sedimentary rocks that have undergone some transformation caused by long time exposure to high temperature, pressure, impact or any combination of the three. The Stone Mountain in Atlanta is an example of a metamorphic rock.
2006-07-10 09:48:26
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answer #1
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answered by Jigyasu Prani 6
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Actually it is not a rock. Most are a great mixture of various materials one of the most common being iron. This material is usually held together in a frozen mass.
2006-07-04 19:15:43
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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