In this research paper, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry has been used to determine the mineralogical and elemental composition of a stone sample recovered from a location near village Lehri in district Jhelum, Pakistan. The test data is compared with previous findings (as reported in literature and included in references) to identify this sample stone as part of a meteorite ablation debris

Saheeb Kayani

English

Nature Precedings

Using Combined XRD-XRF 
Analysis to Identify Meteorite 
Ablation Debris
Saheeb Ahmed Kayani
Department of Mechanical Engineering,
College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering,
National University of Sciences and Technology,
Peshawar Road, Rawalpindi, Pakistan
Fifth IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies (ICET),
October 19-20, 2009, Islamabad, Pakistan
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Combined XRD-XRF Analysis
• XRF spectrometer is used to determine the individual 
component wavelengths of the fluorescent emissions produced 
when any material sample is exposed to X-rays.
• X-ray diffraction (XRD) is the technique of choice these days for 
determination of mineralogical make up of a variety of materials
especially geological samples.
• The complimentary nature of XRD and XRF methods makes 
them invaluable for quantitative phase and elemental 
composition analysis.N
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Background Information
• Location: Pind (33°09'47"N and 73°34'09"E) approximately
half a kilometer northeast of village Lehri (33°09'09"N and 
73°33'35"E) in district Jhelum, Pakistan.
• For analysis purposes, representative samples were collected 
from different sites on the location using magnetic prospecting.
• These sites lie within a narrow patch of land approximately 100 
m across and 250 m in length, extending north to south on both 
sides of the road that leads from village Lehri to a nearby village 
Rawatra, further up in the northeast direction.
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Elevation: 1650 ft
Eye Altitude: 3148 ft
N
Image Date: November 4, 2006
Source: DigitalGlobe/Google Earth
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Sample Appearance and Properties
• Strongly magnetic
• Fairly distinguishable from rest of the soil
• Rough and pitted surfaces
• Depressions and shrinkage cracks 
• Black in color with metallic luster
• Variable thickness (0.5 to 3 cm) 
• Few are covered with a dull bronze colored layer (indicative of 
rusting attributable to weathering effects)
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Sample 1: Tested at Geoscience Advance Research Laboratories, Islamabad using XRD and WD-XRF Analysis
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Sample 2: Tested at National Physical and Standards Laboratory, Islamabad using Standard Chemical Analysis
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Likely Origins
• Taking into account the physical characteristics, appearance, 
weight to size ratio and the very way in which this suspected 
stone variety is scattered over a limited area, three origins may 
be considered:
1. Volcanic (volcanic rock)
2. Industrial (waste/by product of some industrial process)
3. Extraterrestrial (meteorite ablation debris)
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Test Results
• The XRD analysis detected wüstite (Fe1-xO) and magnetite 
(Fe3O4) as predominant mineralogical phases in the outer crust 
of the tested sample stone.
• Elemental composition determined through XRF spectrometry 
analysis is included in the next slide. 
• Presence of metallic phase in the interior structure of a polished 
surface of the tested sample stone is illustrated using 
photomicrographs taken with reflected light at 20× and 100×
magnification.N
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Elemental Composition (wt%) of 
the Sample Stone Determined 
through WD-XRF Spectrometry 
Analysis.
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Photomicrograph Section 
Showing Metallic Phase 
(Silver-Gray) on a Polished 
Surface of the Sample Stone 
at 20× Magnification.
Sample Stone 
Microstructure Analysis 
using Optical Microscope.
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Metallic phase (white) observed at 100×
magnification on a polished surface of the  
tested sample stone. Note almost round in 
shape single grain of metal phase with 
relatively well-defined boundary in the center 
of the photomicrograph section. 
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Analysis
Volcanic
(No)
• Presence of wüstite
(shows existence of a 
highly reducing 
environment where as 
magmas offer high 
oxygen fugacities or 
increased possibility of 
oxidation than reduction).
• Volcanic magnetite 
contains TiO2 in the range 
of 4-30 wt% whereas in 
this case there is a very 
low abundance of TiO2
(0.848 wt%) detected.
Industrial
(No)
• No industry 
associated 
setups in 
recent times or 
in past years 
have existed in 
or around the 
site.
Meteorite Debris
(Yes)
• Increased relative 
abundance of Fe.
• Low abundance of 
cosmically abundant 
elements (Mn, Cr, Ti etc.).
• Presence of wüstite (a 
rare Fe mineralogical 
phase mostly observed 
with meteorites 
undergoing ablation 
effects while passing 
through earth’s 
atmosphere).
• Low Ni Content
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Meteorite Type: Initial Hypothesis
• Based on available physical, chemical and mineralogical data,
the meteorite is classified as a chondrite. (Further testing through
combustion analysis will be carried out to determine total carbon
content, which in turn will be used to fix nature and origins of the
meteorite debris.) 
 
 
 
 
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Meteorite Age: A Comment
• Carbon dating can be used to ascertain the point in time when 
the meteorite entered earth’s atmosphere and crashed on the 
site identified.
• Radiometric analysis can only be used to determine time 
periods in tens of thousands or in certain cases hundreds of 
thousands of years. i.e. Carbon dating ~ 60, 000 years.
• As meteorites are the oldest specimens of matter in space, they 
tend to be as old as earth itself (~ 4.55 billion years) and were  
created as an outcome of very first geological processes in the
primitive, slowly evolving solar system.
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Thank You 
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Using combined XRD-XRF analysis to identify meteorite ablation debris

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http://precedings.nature.com/documents/4866/version/1

Using combined XRD-XRF analysis to identify meteorite ablation debris

Abstract

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