Artificial ablation studies have been performed on iron and nickel-iron samples by using an arc-heated plasma of ionized air. Experiment conditions simulated a meteoroid traveling about 12 km/s at an altitude of 70 km. The artificially produced fusion cursts and ablation debris show features very similar to natural fusion crusts of the iron meteorites Boguslavka, Norfork, and N'Kandhla and to magnetic spherules recovered from deep-sea Mn nodules. X ray diffraction, electron microprobe, optical, and scanning electron microscope analyses revealed that important mineralogical, elemental, and textural changes occur during ablation. Some metal is melted and ablated. The outer margin of the melted rind is oxidized and recrystallizes as a discontinuous crust of magnetite and w¿stite. Adjacent to the oxidized metallic ablation zone is an unoxidized mettalic zone in which structures such as Widmannstatten bands are obliterated as the metal is transformed to unequilibrated α2 nickel-iron. Volatile elements such as S and P are vaporized in the ablation zone. Less volatile elements such as Si and Mn undergo fractionation and are concentrated in the oxide phases, while Ni is concentrated in the metal phases. Dissimilar phases form an intimate intergrowth that persists to a submicroscopic level. Identification of meteor ablation debris in particle collections cannot be based on a single parameter; elemental and mineralogical composition as well as morphological and textural features must be considered.