THE METEORIC PERIDOTITES. — SAXOXITE. 93 



along them, often in divergent rays. Anotiier mineral \vas observed which was trans- 

 parent and presented cleavages nearly perpendicular to each other. The specific gravity 

 of this meteorite is 3.60.* 



From the above description it is inferred that this peridotite is composed principally 

 of olivine and enstatite. 



Lance, Loir-et- Cher , France. 



The Lance meteorite was examined microscopically by Dr. Eichard v. Drasche. It 

 belongs to the chondritic type of Kose, and in the thin section showed a confused 

 groundmass holdmg a great number of rounded forms of varying structure, together with 

 isolated crystal fragments. The spherules were found to be composed either of olivine or 

 of bronzite (enstatite). Iron and pyrrhotite also were seen. 



Drasche sums up the structure of the rock as follows : The meteorite is formed by 

 many isolated olivine crystals, and here and there a bronzite, together with a large 

 number of spherules of two different kinds, lying in a tufaceous powder. The spherules 

 are either regularly or irregularly arranged aggregates of olivme, or they are formed of 

 bronzite needles radiating eccentrically. Plates with a full description of the meteorite 

 were given by Drasche.f 



Tourinnes-la- Grosse, Belgium, 



The Tourinnes meteorite was studied microscopically by the Kev. A. Eenard, S. J. 



He found that upon the fractured surface the rock was of a grayish- white color, fine- 

 granular in structure, and with but little coherence. 



Under a lens small spherules of a grayish-brown or a pale-gray color were seen, also 

 yellowish points of pyrrhotite. This meteorite belongs to the chondritic type of Rose. 



Under the microscope the groundmass is found to have but Httle coherence, and to be 

 formed by an agglomeration of particles, the chief of these being non-cemented grains of 

 olivine of iiTegular contour. Porphyritically inclosed in this granular groundmass were 

 observed ii'on, pyrrhotite (troilite), enstatite, and olivine. 



The nickeliferous iron is in the form of indented, cellular grains. The enstatite is 

 gi-aj' or colorless, and possesses a fibrous structure. 



The olivine shows the same characters as it does in the terrestrial peridotic rocks. It 

 does not appear that the irregularity of the grains was necessarily due to mechanical 

 action, since the same structure is to be seen in the terrestrial peridotic rocks, as for 

 instance that from the St. Paul's Eocks. 



The chondri were separated into two groups: those formed from prisms and fibres 

 of enstatite, and those formed from an agglomeration of olivine gi-anules. 



Eenard held that the chondritic structure was different from any terrestrial form, and 

 that it was produced through the projection of incoherent volcanic matter, which tlirough 

 its agglomeration formed the tufaceous-like meteorites.^ 



Waconda, M'dchcl Co., Kansas. 



Some description of this meteorite has been given by C. U. Shepard and J. L. Smith.§ 

 According to the latter it is composed of iron, pyrrhotite (troilite), olivine, and 



* Phil. Mag., 1SG3 (4), ssv. 50-.58. f iliu. Mittli., 1875, pp. 1-8. 



X Mem. Soc. Beige Micros., 1879, t. 43-50. 



§ Am. Jour. Sci., 1876 (3), xi. 473, 474; 1877, xiii. 211-313. 



