IC irons
IC irons are a small magmatic group of iron meteorites, low in nickel and often coarse in structure.
IC irons are a small chemical group of iron meteorites, with around a dozen members. They have low nickel, typically about 6 to 7 per cent, and low gallium and germanium compared with many other groups. Their structure is usually that of a coarse octahedrite or an anomalous coarse structure, and many contain abundant cohenite.
The trends of trace elements within the group show the pattern expected from fractional crystallisation in a molten core, so IC irons are classed as a magmatic group from a single parent body.
The most famous IC iron is Bendegó, a mass of about 5.4 tonnes found in Bahia, Brazil, in 1784 and now displayed in Rio de Janeiro. Its long, complex history includes a failed attempt to move it in the eighteenth century and a successful transport in 1888. IC irons show how even small iron groups can hold large and historic specimens.
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