# Raman Spectroscopy and X-Ray Diffraction Investigations of Phase Composition of Tiglit Meteorite

## TL;DR

This study analyzed the Tiglit meteorite to determine its mineral composition and found unexpected substances like calcite and silica phases.

## Contribution

The detection of calcite and polymorphic SiO2 phases in the Tiglit meteorite is a novel finding.

## Key findings

- The meteorite contains pyroxene, olivine, plagioclase, sulfides, carbon phases, and iron oxides.
- Calcite and polymorphic SiO2 phases were unexpectedly detected in the meteorite.
- Calcite formation is linked to terrestrial alteration of oldhamite after the meteorite's fall.

## Abstract

Tiglit is an aubrite meteorite which fell in 2021 in Morocco. Fragments of the Tiglit meteorite, recovered shortly after its fall, were analyzed for phase and chemical composition using scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. These studies confirmed the presence of pyroxene (enstatite), olivine, plagioclase, sulfides, carbon phases (seldom reported in aubrites), and iron oxides. Unexpectedly, calcite and polymorphic SiO2 phases were also detected. The formation of calcite is related to the terrestrial alteration of oldhamite—a sulfide present in aubrites—after the fall.