Elemental composition and physical characteristics of the massive meteorite of the Saudi Empty Quarter

Abstract The meteorite found in the Empty Quarter of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is the largest meteorite found in the KSA and has the shape of an irregular ellipsoid with semi-axes of 0.65 m, 0.38 m, and 0.27 m; a density of 6400 kg/m3; and a mass of 2550 kg. It is a massive piece belonging to the category of iron–nickel meteorites, which is contained in only 5% of the total showers. The present report is on the Elemental composition and physical characteristics of the massive meteorite of the saudi empty quarter employing with laser-induced break down spectroscopy (LIBS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), scanning electron microscope (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectrophotometry (EDX). Present study has indicated that the meteorite is composed of about 5% Ni, 91% Fe, 1.51% P, 0.3% Co, and a host of other elements, most of them appeared as oxides. The measured density of the meteorite is 6400 kg/m3 and it is confirmed by the micro-hardness test that the meteorite is porous (approximately about 19%). Based on our investigation, it is very likely that this meteorite would have “escaped” from the belt around Mars and Jupiter and is unlikely from the moon or elsewhere. This could be the first such study, employing the advanced instruments mentioned above regarding massive Saudi meteorite.