Pallasites: Why these cosmic gemstones leave scientists baffled (with photos).

While Earth is an amazing planet, some of the most remarkable objects found on our planet originate from space. This includes meteorites known as pallasites, as reported by IFLScience.

Meteorites are fragments of asteroids and are typically no larger than 1 meter. Frequently, meteorites enter Earth's atmosphere and either burn up or land on the planet's surface.

There are various types of meteorites, but approximately 94% of these cosmic stones that fall to Earth are stony meteorites, primarily composed of silicate minerals. These meteorites are called chondrites, and their age is estimated to be 4.5 billion years. This indicates that they have preserved their original composition since the formation of the Solar System.

There are also iron meteorites, which are rich in iron and nickel. They are much rarer, and scientists believe they broke off from massive asteroids that grew so large that their interiors melted under extreme pressure. It is thought that these asteroids were in the process of transforming into a rocky planet similar to Earth, which would have an iron core, mantle, and crust. However, these asteroids were destroyed.

Yet there is an even rarer type of cosmic stone: iron-stony meteorites. They consist of roughly equal proportions of iron, nickel, and stony minerals.

This category includes meteorites known as pallasites. They contain large olive-green crystals, which represent a form of magnesium and iron silicate known as the mineral olivine. Moreover, olivine can create beautiful patterns on the surface of meteorites, making them resemble gemstones.

Pallasites are a very rare type of meteorite, with scientists having discovered only about 300 of these cosmic stones. Pallasites are also the most mysterious type of meteorite, as scientists are not entirely sure how they were formed.

Some scientists believe that pallasites formed from asteroids that melted, allowing them to take on a semblance of a core, mantle, and crust. This theory suggests that pallasites emerged at the boundary between the core and mantle. If this is true, pallasites could provide insights into how rocky planets are formed.

Other scientists argue that pallasites could not have formed in this manner. This theory posits that these stones resulted from collisions between large and small asteroids in the early Solar System. This collision caused the materials from the core and mantle of a potential rocky planet to mix together.

Due to their rarity, pallasites are highly sought after by collectors.