page_title: Ataxite
hierarchical_section_title: Ataxite
caption_attribution_description: Ataxite (field of view ~2.5 cm across) - a cut, polished, nitric acid-etched surface of the Santiago Papasquiero Meteorite, found in 1958 in Durango, Mexico. It consists of a finely crystalline mix of kamacite &amp; taenite, plus other minor minerals. Santiago Papasquiero is a strange ataxite that appears to be a completely metamorphosed and recrystallized octahedrite. Most recrystallized octahedrites still retain vague hints of the original Widmanstätten structure. This meteorite doesn't have any, so it isn’t an octahedrite - it’s an ataxite. Published chemical info. indicates that Santiago Papasquiero has 7.5% nickel content overall. The kamacite component has 6.8% Ni. The taenite component has 30% Ni.
context_page_description: Ataxites are a structural class of iron meteorites with a high nickel content and show no Widmanstätten patterns upon etching.
context_section_description: Ataxites (from Greek meaning "without structure") are a structural class of iron meteorites with a high nickel content and show no Widmanstätten patterns upon etching.
caption: The Santiago Papasquiero meteorite, an ataxite found in 1958 in Durango, Mexico. It consists of a finely crystalline mix of kamacite & taenite, plus other minor minerals. Santiago Papasquiero is a strange ataxite that appears to be a completely metamorphosed and recrystallized octahedrite. Field of view ~2.5 cm across. This is a cut, polished, nitric acid-etched surface.
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