Meteorite Pallasite Huckitta – Australia

Huckitta is a fascinating meteorite belonging to the pallasite group, a rare type of meteorite containing both metallic and silicate components. It was discovered in 1924 in an area known as Huckitta Station, located in the Northern Territory of Australia. This find consisted of several larger fragments that were scattered in the wilderness of central Australia. A local farmer found a piece of the metal meteorite and several other fragments were later found. The main fragment weighed approximately 1,400 kg, making it one of the largest pallasite meteorites found on the Australian continent. The total weight of the finds reached 2 300 kg.

Olivine crystals in Huckitta are often greenish yellow to brown, although some may have subtle colour gradients. These crystals are usually transparent to translucent. Huckitta contains high amounts of iron and nickel, which make up the metallic component of the meteorite.

Although pallasites typically do not show Widmanstätten patterns as distinctly as some iron meteorites, the metallic structure of Huckitta can show fine patterns when properly processed.

Pallasites such as Huckitta probably form in the transition zone between the mantle and core of planetesimals, which means that they may contain information about the processes that took place during the formation of these planetesimals in the early solar system.