TY - JOUR
T1 - Unique (Al,Cu)-alloys discovered in a micrometeorite from Southern Italy
AU - Agrosì, Giovanna
AU - Manzari, Paola
AU - Mele, Daniela
AU - Tempesta, Gioacchino
AU - Rizzo, Floriana
AU - Catelani, Tiziano
AU - Cheng, Guangming
AU - Yao, Nan
AU - Villeneuve, Johan
AU - Bindi, Luca
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.
PY - 2025/12
Y1 - 2025/12
N2 - We report the discovery of a (Al,Cu)-bearing micrometeorite recovered at the top of Mt. Gariglione (Italy). The micrometeorite exhibits a highly vesicular scoriaceous structure characterized by broadly chondritic silicate-dominated composition (S-type) with relict phenocrystals of forsteritic olivine dispersed in a Ca-rich silicate glass with pyroxene composition, droplets of FeNi metal, oxides and sporadic Ni-rich sulphides embedded in a magnetite rim. The oxygen 3-isotope analyses give values close to the slope ~1 CCAM. A reduced assemblage of (Al,Cu)-alloys partially fills the open voids of the micrometeorite and shows variable compositions: from almost pure Cu up to Al-dominated phases with a predominance of khatyrkite, stolperite and unnamed Cu3Al2. Locally, small grains (about 1-2 µm in size) embedded in stolperite show a Fe-Si enrichment and are characterized by a long-range ordering resembling a quasicrystalline structure. This finding represents a unique natural quasicrystal approximant with composition Al52Cu31Fe10Si7.
AB - We report the discovery of a (Al,Cu)-bearing micrometeorite recovered at the top of Mt. Gariglione (Italy). The micrometeorite exhibits a highly vesicular scoriaceous structure characterized by broadly chondritic silicate-dominated composition (S-type) with relict phenocrystals of forsteritic olivine dispersed in a Ca-rich silicate glass with pyroxene composition, droplets of FeNi metal, oxides and sporadic Ni-rich sulphides embedded in a magnetite rim. The oxygen 3-isotope analyses give values close to the slope ~1 CCAM. A reduced assemblage of (Al,Cu)-alloys partially fills the open voids of the micrometeorite and shows variable compositions: from almost pure Cu up to Al-dominated phases with a predominance of khatyrkite, stolperite and unnamed Cu3Al2. Locally, small grains (about 1-2 µm in size) embedded in stolperite show a Fe-Si enrichment and are characterized by a long-range ordering resembling a quasicrystalline structure. This finding represents a unique natural quasicrystal approximant with composition Al52Cu31Fe10Si7.
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U2 - 10.1038/s43247-025-02245-w
DO - 10.1038/s43247-025-02245-w
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105002747215
SN - 2662-4435
VL - 6
JO - Communications Earth and Environment
JF - Communications Earth and Environment
IS - 1
M1 - 271
ER -