Magnetic Classification of Antarctic Stony Meteorites (III)

The Prior rule in regard to a relation between Fe°+Ni°and Fe°/Ni°and the Urey-Craig-Mason law in regard to a relation between Fe content in FeO and Fe content in metal and FeS for chondrites are reconfirmed on 14 newly analyzed chondrites. It is then experimentally confirmed that the saturation magnetization (I_s) can reasonably well represent Fe°+Ni°or Fe°in stony meteorites except carbonaceous chondrites, and that thermomagnetic parameters such as the main magnetic transition temperature (Θ^*_c) in the cooling process, the ratio of α-phase magnetization to the total magnetization (I_s(α)/I_s) and Ni-content in metallic phase (Ni°/(Fe°+Ni°)) derived from the magnetic analysis are well correlated with Fe°/Ni°, whereas the Θ^*_c-value for carbonaceous chondrites uniquely represents Curie point of magnetite. E-, H-, L-, LL- and C-chondrites and achondrites are expressed as mutually well separated groups on an I_s versus I_s(α)/I_s diagram and an I_s versus Θ^*_c diagram. On an I_s versus Ni°/(Fe°+Ni°) diagram, the five chondrite groups are well separately grouped, but the achondrite group partially overlaps the C-chondrite group domain. Synthetically using the three diagrams, however, the six stony meteorite groups can be satisfactorily identified on the basis of magnetic data alone