Figure 2

Comparison of EDS spectra for Fe-rich (metal) and Si-rich (silicate) spectra from the Brenham pallasite (pictured right) in the collections of the Smithsonian Institution collected with a FEI Nova NanoSEM 600 at the Smithsonian with spectra of Tankersley et al.’s Fig. 15.¹ Brenham consists of olivine ((Mg,Fe)₂SiO₄) and Fe,Ni metal. EDS spectra of olivine (a) contains prominent peaks for Si, Mg, O and Fe, whereas those of Tankersley et al. (a inset) contain minimal Mg and abundant Al, with lesser K, Ca, and Ti, likely indicative of a local soil composition. EDS spectra of Fe,Ni metal (b) exhibits a significant Ni peak, which is weak or absent in the spectra (b inset) of Tankersley et al., which contains abundant O, Si, Al, K, Ca and Ti, suggesting an iron oxide composition with a local soil component.