science

Lodranite

Lodranite is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lodranite rather than just read about it. In short: Lodranites are a small group of primitive achondrite meteorites that consists of meteoric iron and silicate minerals. Olivine and pyroxene make up most of the silicate minerals.

Key takeaways

Lodranite belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lodranite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lodranite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Lodranites are a small group of primitive achondrite meteorites that consists of meteoric iron and silicate minerals. Olivine and pyroxene make up most of the silicate minerals. Like all primitive achondrites lodranites share similarities with chondrites and achondrites.

Naming and history The lodranite group is named after Lodhran, Pakistan, where the type specimen fell on 1 October 1868 at 14:00. Eyewitnesses of the fall reported a loud bang accompanied by a rising dust cloud to the east of the city, which led to the discovery and retrieval of the meteorite. The "meteorite from Lodran" was first described by Gustav Tschermak in 1870. He described the meteorite being "apart from the nickel-iron it is an olivine-bronzite aggregates of such outstanding sort, that has never been found in a meteorite before only similar to the terrestrial olivine rock". George Thurland Prior was the first to classify the lodran meteorite as the only member of the lodranite group. He also saw close similarities to the ureilites.

Description Lodranites are primitive achondrites. They are coarser grained than acapulcoites. The main mineral phases are low calcium pyroxene and olivine with minor amounts of plagioclase and troilite. Because of their composition they are related to the chondrites and H class chondrites. Lodranites can be described as chondrites that were heated to the point where FeNi and FeS reach a eutectic point. At this point partial melting occurred and some of the metal- and silica melt was removed. The Lodran meteorite is described as having roughly equal amounts of metal, olivine and pyroxene which make up most of the volume. Other minerals include sulphide, chromite, phosphide and chrome-diopside.

Parent body The lodranites and acapulcoites share the same parent body which was probably similar to an S-type asteroid. The lodranites are coarser grained and yield higher temperatures with isotopic methods and are therefore thought to be from greater depths within the parent body. The cooling path of the parent body can be reconstructed by using radiometric dating. The Hf-W system in high-Ca pyroxenes has a closing temperature in between 975 and 1025 °C. The parent body cooled under this temperature between 4563.1 and 4562.6 million years ago. This means that the parent body accreted about 1.5 to 2 million years after the CAI formation. Trace elements indicate that the parent body had a complex geologic history with partial melting, melt migration and metasomatism.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lodranite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lodranite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lodranite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lodranite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lodranite

In research: Lodranite appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lodranite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lodranite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Achondrite meteorites, Meteorite groups, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lodranite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lodranite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lodranite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lodranite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lodranite in simple terms?

Lodranites are a small group of primitive achondrite meteorites that consists of meteoric iron and silicate minerals. Olivine and pyroxene make up most of the silicate minerals.

Why does Lodranite matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lodranite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lodranite.