Is Meteorites Magnetic? 5 Facts You Should Know!

Iron-meteorite metal dominates meteorites, with trace levels of sulfide and carbide minerals. Let us check the magnetic properties of meteorites.

A magnetic element is a meteorite. A magnet will frequently stick to meteorites that’s because the majority of them contain metallic iron. A magnet might not cling to stony meteorites, but if it is suspended by a string, it will be drawn to the object.

For the same reason that most rocks on Earth do not attract magnets, some of the rarest varieties of meteorites, called achondrites, do not: they do not contain iron or meteorite metal. We will dive into the magnetic properties of meteorites, the magnetic susceptibility of meteorites, and meteorite magnetic characteristics.

Are all meteorites magnetic?

All meteorites are not always magnets. Let us examine the magnetic properties of the different meteorites.

Name of the magnetic meteoriteName of the non magnetic meteorite
Iron meteoriteAchondrite
AubriteChondrite
AngriteEucrites
ChassignyStony iron
Chromite Fukang meteorite
Carbonaceous chondriteBrenham 
HobaHuckitta
ArmantyBondoc
MboziJepara
WillametteSeymchan
BendegoEsquel
Planentary core Imilac
Name of the magnetic and non-magnetic meteorite

Many asteroids melted during the elements of radioactive decay in the early solar system, and the iron they contained, being dense, sank to the center, forming a metallic core.

Why are meteorites magnetic?

Even those commonly referred to as iron meteorites are never 100 percent pure iron. Let us observe the magnetic properties of meteorites.

Meteorites exhibit magnetic properties because of the unique configuration of these metals’ electrons around their nucleus; this enables them to all point in the same direction when they are exposed to an external magnetic field.

640px Willamette Meteorite AMNH
Image Credit – Willamette Meteorite AMNH by Dante Alighieri (CC-BY-SA-3.0)

Although iron can be the dominant component, meteorite is always present in large amounts, as stated in this Washington University of St.

Meteorite magnetic properties

Ferromagnetic materials are those that have unpaired electrons and can therefore be permanently magnetized. Let us check out the meteorite’s magnetic characteristics.

  • The meteorite atoms’ domains have a persisted dipole moment.
  • Atomic dipoles in meteorites are inclined in the same general plane as the magnetic field.
  • A large magnetic dipole on a meteorite confronts the magnetizing field.
  • The magnetic susceptibility of meteorites is strongly positive.
  • A meteorite loses its ferromagnetic properties when it becomes liquid because of the elevated temperature.
  • Meteorites are drawn to the area in large numbers. Since the field is strongest at the poles of a non-uniform field, they naturally gravitate toward staying there.
  • In addition, the internal magnetizing field of meteorite, which is higher than the external magnetizing field, varies linearly with the material’s extremely high relative permeability. They often put a lot of lines inside.

Ferromagnetic materials do have a few industrial applications. Electric motors, transformers, phones, generators, loudspeakers, and the magnetic stripe on the back of credit cards are just a few examples of the numerous products that utilize them.

Meteorites magnetic susceptibility

The atomic number and mass number of a substance are characteristics that influence its magnetic susceptibility. Let us check the magnetic susceptibility of the meteorites.

The magnetic susceptibilities of meteorites should fall between 0.48 × 10-6 and 0.78 × 10-6 cubic meters per kilogram. Magnetic susceptibility is the assessment of a material’s level of magnetization in response to an externally applied magnetic field.

Since the units for magnetization and magnetic field strength, amperes per meter, are the same, magnetic susceptibility is a dimensionless quantity.

Conclusion

This article leads us to the conclusion that meteorites of all varieties are not magnetic. The other subject is whether or not meteorites are magnetic, magnetically susceptible, magnetically susceptible, and why they are magnetic.

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