Slice
A thin flat piece cut from inside a meteorite, with sawn faces on both sides.
A slice is made by sawing right through a meteorite twice, a few millimetres apart, like cutting a slice of bread from the middle of a loaf. Both large faces are cut surfaces, and the narrow edge around the outside is the meteorite's natural exterior, often with a rim of fusion crust. A complete slice is a full slice, and a piece broken or cut from one is a part slice.
Slices let people see the inside of a meteorite at its best. Each side can be polished, and many meteorites look spectacular this way. Pallasites, which are stony-iron meteorites made of olivine crystals set in metal, are sometimes cut so thin that light shines through the gem-like crystals. Imilac, a pallasite found in the Atacama Desert of Chile, is a good example, with golden-brown olivine in a silvery metal frame. Slicing also lets one meteorite be shared among many museums and researchers.
To recognise a slice, look for two flat, parallel faces and a narrow natural edge. Slices of iron meteorites must be kept dry, because the large area of fresh metal rusts easily. Cutting meteorites needs proper saws, coolant and protective gear, so it is never a job for children.
Related terms
Level: Explorer Ages 10 and up