Investigation of the behaviour of iron metal during impact melting

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Impacts play a major role in reworking planetary surfaces. Impact melting results in emplacement of molten target rock among unmelted rock clasts, resulting in rocks described as impact melt breccias. These rocks are typically composed of silicate clasts and a silicate-dominated impact melt. However, among the meteorite and lunar collections there are also many examples of iron metal clasts that are incorporated in impact melt breccias. This project is an investigation of the behaviour of metal during formation of impact melt breccias in a variety of materials, in order to understand the chemical and physical effects of short heating pulses. The focus will be on understanding the processes that have led to formation of partially molten metal textures in the CB chondrites, which have undergone impact melting. These will be compared with observations of metal grains in lunar samples (Apollo samples and meteorites) and impact-melted ordinary chondrites