Tom Phillips Thin Sections - Meteorite & Rock Art

NWA 4801 Angrite - "Tumbling Rubies From the Sky"

2012-03-03T20:45:00.002-08:00

NWA 4801Angrite - "Tumbling Rubies From the Sky"

NWA 4801 Angrite x760 magnification

NWA 969 LL6/7 Chondrite

2012-02-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

NWA 969 LL6/7 Chondrite

NWA 969 LL6/7 Chondrite IV - 2100X
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 969 LL6/7 Chondrite III - 760X
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 969 LL6/7 Chondrite VI - 400X II
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 969 LL6/7 Chondrite I - 160X
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 969 LL6/7
I can't quite explain why, these are just about my favorite meteorite micrographs. Yes, the material is interesting, and that is undoubtedly part of it, but I just like the colors I guess.

The color change from one image to the next is a result of thin section rotation in the cross polarized light. I was using a full wave retardation filter on this set as well.

The first pair has an (At the eye piece) magnification of 160X, followed by 400X, then 760X and, just for the fun of it, I worked in a 2100X shot of some where within the original field of view. The quality of image, at that level of magnification, is not all that good and I know I said this was an "ART" site but indulge me. I just wanted to show it off. I would also like to note, this progression of magnifications was done on the microscope and was not a digital trick. Any of you who work with thin sections in Xpol know what goes into magnification changes. I spend much more time focusing the condenser than I do the objective!

This NWA 969 description was written by Adam Hupe:
Northwest Africa 969 is an extremely rare LL6/7 type chondrite with fluid trains found in June of 2001. What makes this chondrite so interesting is that it was first mistaken for a Brachinite. Its composition, ratios and 120 degree triple junctions appeared identical to that of Brachina. The few differences being sparse oriented intergrowths (interpreted as relic chondrules) chondrules and actual trains of fluid in the olivine. Only after exhaustive testing and oxygen isotopes was it determined to come from the LL chondrite parent body. More interesting is the way the fluid (water?) is trapped. It is contained in small round cavities in the olivine grains forming bubble trains, which can be observed with a microscope in thin section. We refer to this fluid as 4.5 billion year old bottled water. Although water has been found in a few other chondrites, it was contained in halite (salt) crystals not cavities in olivine making this a unique meteorite.

For more information please see the 88th Meteoritical Bulletin

NWA 960 Rare Anomalous Chondrite

2012-02-03T14:13:00.000-08:00

NWA 960 Very Rare Anomalous Chondrite

NWA 960 Very Rare Anomalous Chondrite 400X I
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 960 Very Rare Anomalous Chondrite 400X II
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 960 is a very Rare Anomalous Chondrite. This thin section micrograph was taken in cross-polarized light with the addition of a 1/4 wave retardation filter at a magnification of 400X.
It should be noted that these images are of an interesting inclusion and are not typical of the primary material in this meteorite.

To learn more about NWA 960 please see the MetBull entry:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?sea=NWA+960&sfor=names&ants=&falls=&valids=&stype=contains&lrec=50&map=ge&browse=&country=All&srt=name&categ=All&mblist=All&rect=&phot=&snew=0&pnt=Normal%20table&code=31971

Terrestrial Basalt Thin Section Art

2012-02-01T14:37:00.000-08:00

Terrestrial Basalt 760x (click on image to enlarge)
(c) Tom Phillips -All Rights Reserved

Terrestrial Basalt 760x
(c) Tom Phillips -All Rights Reserved

NWA 6075 Lodranite

2012-01-31T11:51:00.000-08:00

NWA 6075 Lodranite

NWA 6075 Lodranite I
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 6075 Lodranite II
(click on images to enlarge)
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 6075 Lodranite III
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips - All Rights Reserved

NWA 6075 Lodranite
The three images were taken on the Neophot with a magnification of 1600X using a technique known as oil immersion. These are "True color".

To learn more about NWA 6075 please see the MetBull entry:

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?sea=NWA+6075&sfor=names&ants=&falls=&valids=&stype=contains&lrec=50&map=ge&browse=&country=All&srt=name&categ=All&mblist=All&rect=&phot=&snew=0&pnt=Normal%20table&code=51484

NWA 4901 Ungrouped Achondrite

2012-01-31T09:07:00.000-08:00

NWA 4901 Ungrouped Achondrite
(click on image to enlarge)
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips

NWA 4901
To learn more about NWA 4901 please see the MetBull entry:
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?sea=NWA+4901&sfor=names&ants=&falls=&valids=&stype=contains&lrec=50&map=ge&browse=&country=All&srt=name&categ=All&mblist=All&rect=&phot=&snew=0&pnt=Normal%20table&code=47081

The Resurrection

2012-01-30T21:27:00.000-08:00

The Resurrection - A chondrule within an OC meteorite.
(click on image to enlarge)
(c) 2012 Tom Phillips

Tom Phillips Thin Sections ------ Meteorite & Rock Art --- About Me

2012-01-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my meteorite / Rock Art site.
I am adamant about calling it an "ART" site. What I do is not real "Science" it is close to "Science" and what scientific examination might entail with a very important difference. I am not bound by doing ANYTHING right. I am chasing the visually pleasing.

Some times my images help to illustrate, in a eye catching way, some features that were discovered with scientific methods by serious scientists. This is pleasant when it happens.

Do not look at these images as a reference to identify thin section minerals. I do not alter colors with Photo Shop or color filters but I do manage color and contrast with polarizing and light retardation filters. I do so with out regard to scientific controls. The degree of "off-full extinction" rotation is not consistent. I move things around until I think it looks good!

Additionally, and I hate to need to go into this, I would love to find alien life forms fossilized in meteorite thin section but I HAVE NOT. Some sites have used my images in wild and absurd claims. I am not a part of any of this kind of nonsense. I may have a few somewhat unconventional views of certain meteorite structure formation processes but these are limited to things like chemical reactions verses shock induced and they do not include finding ET.

The equipment I use is advanced and is certainly research grade from a few decades ago. My preference in scopes is aus Jena. The East German part of Zeiss. I chose these scopes because of my ability to find "special" parts with in my budget.

This site is made possible by Dirk Ross, Tokyo, Japan (LunarMeteorite*Hunter)

The Latest Worldwide Meteor/Meteorite News http://lunarmeteoritehunters.blogspot.com/ and all his help in setting it up and managing it.

A brief run down of my scopes.

Nikon SMZ 2B Stereo Microscope.
It magnification operating range is from 8X to 50X. I use this scope to help identify features I want to take a closer look at. (A thin section is a big open field at 700X when you are looking for a small feature.) I seldom take any photographs with this scope. If I do, it is to document where a feature is located within the sample.

My Xpol scope.

It is an aus Jena Fluoval. It started life as a biological research microscope or AKA "Cancer scope". I use this frame because I can switch from transmitted light (pass through) to incident light (reflected) with the flip of a leaver. I can also combine incident and transmitted light. What this scope looks like on any day varies as parts are frequently changed out to suit the sample / technique.

It also has a huge mercury lamp house that can safely handle a lot of heat. I run a 750 watt photo optic halogen bulb as my light source in one of these hollowed-out housings. Many of the techniques I use require a lot of light!

My incident light microscope.
An aus Jena Neophot. Large samples can be viewed and a thin section is not necessary. The sample must, however, be highly polished. I polish samples to a level of 1/4 micron for my close up views. I can reach magnifications up to 2000X with excellent clarity. When viewed in this technique the image is largely "True Color". when I say largely it means some opalescent effects can immerge but most of the image is exactly what the rock looks like way up close.

This is a polarizing set for the Neophot.
I use it to draw out subtle variations in reflectivity. Mostly in iron or iron mineral specks. It is possible to show mineral migration patters similar to Widmanstätten in very small bits of iron found in many meteorites.

This is an interference microscope.
It is an aus Jena Interphako. While it is useful in producing some cool visual effects, that is not what it was made for! It uses the principle of light wave interference for measurement and it is capable of measuring the distance of 1/500th of a visible light wave.

This is a Shinko polarimeter.

I use it to look at a thin section in cross polarized light while adding light retardation filters. I gives me an idea of what color combinations I can expect and note at what degree of rotation these filters are at when I like the results.

I often talk about control of color and contrast. Dark spots next to bright spots do not photograph well. A lot of work goes into balancing contrast and this machine helps with that.

Tom Phillips Meteorite & Rock Art

2012-01-28T17:51:00.000-08:00