| iron meteorite | |
| —n | |
| a meteorite that is composed mainly of iron and nickel | |
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| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
| a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare. |
| iron meteorite
See under meteorite. |
iron meteorite
any meteorite consisting mainly of iron, usually combined with small amounts of nickel. When such meteorites, often called irons, fall through the atmosphere, they may develop a thin, black crust of iron oxide that quickly weathers to rust. Though iron meteorites constitute only about 5 percent of observed meteorite falls, they are relatively easy to distinguish from terrestrial rock and last longer in soil than do stony meteorites; thus, they are found more often than stony or stony iron meteorites. (The latter, containing stone and iron in about equal amounts, are the rarest group of finds.)
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