pallasite

/ˈpæləsaɪt/

A pallasite is a particular type of meteorite, a solid piece of space debris that falls to earth. Pallasites are made up of the elements iron and olivine.

Any meteorite that lands on earth is a tiny clue to other parts of our solar system — they're composed of fragments of asteroids, comets, and even bits of other planets. Pallasites are particularly beautiful meteorites, taking the form of metal chunks embedded with olivine crystals. Pallasites are named after a German scientist, Peter Pallas, who discovered and studied one in 1772.

Definitions of pallasite

1. noun

   a meteorite composed principally of olivine and metallic iron
   type of:

   meteorite

   any piece of a solid space object that entered Earth's atmosphere and landed on Earth's surface