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Janssens et al. 1977
Janssens, M., Hertogen, J., Takahashi, H., Anders, E. and Lambert, P. (1977). Rochechouart meteorite crater: Identification of projectile. Journal of Geophysical Research 82. doi: 10.1029/JB082i005p00750. issn: 0148-0227.

Ten samples from the ~20-km Rochechouart crater in France have been analyzed for the siderophile elements Ir, Os, Re, Au, Pd, Ni, and Ge by radiochemical neutron activation analysis. The up to 1000-fold enrichment of siderophiles correlates with shock effects, increasing in the following order from least to greatest: basement rocks, glass-free breccias, glassy breccias, impact melts. The abundance pattern of the meteorite was determined from interelement correlations. Several samples fell off the correlation lines, presumably due to recrystallization and weathering of impact glasses during the ~165-m.y. age of the crater. The most reliable diagnostic elements were Os, Ir, Ni, and Pd; their abundance ratios suggest that the Rochechouart meteorite was a HA iron. It is curious that all 12 meteorite craters whose projectiles have been identified were produced by irons or stony irons, though stones outnumber irons 13:1 among meteorites and ~6:1 among asteroids. Either stones of 103--105 cm diameter are preferentially destroyed in the atmosphere, as suggested by Oupik, or, less probably, irons dominate over stones in this size range.

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Journal of Geophysical Research
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