Mössbauer study of tektites

Room temperature 57Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy has been used to investigate the structural and oxidation state of Fe in tektites from different strewn fields. Spectra have been analyzed in terms of two quadrupole splitting distributions corresponding to Fe3 +  and Fe2 + . All tektites show similar distribution of quadrupole splitting. Each distribution has one peak. The Fe2 +  sites show a narrow region of Mössbauer line shift (δ) and quadrupole splitting (ε), δ = 1.02–1.10 mm/s and ε = 0.85–1.00 mm/s relative to α-Fe. These values have been assigned to intermediate coordination between tetrahedral and octahedral. The Fe3 +  sites show wider regions of hyperfine parameters: δ = 0.25–0.45 mm/s and ε = 0.65–0.90 mm/s. The Fe3 + /Fe2 +  ratio was found to be 0.05–0.15.