Diogenite
Group of achondritic stony meteorites that originate from the asteroid 4 Vesta
title: "Diogenite" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["planetary-science", "asteroidal-achondrites", "4-vesta"] description: "Group of achondritic stony meteorites that originate from the asteroid 4 Vesta" topic_path: "science/astronomy" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diogenite" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Group of achondritic stony meteorites that originate from the asteroid 4 Vesta ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox meteorite subdivision"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Subdivision | Group |
| Name | Diogenite |
| Image | JohnstownDiogenite.jpg |
| Image_caption | The Johnstown Diogenite. |
| Compositional_type | |
| Type | Achondrite |
| Class | Asteroidal achondrite |
| Clan | HED |
| Structural_classification | Igneous rocks of plutonic origin |
| Parent_body | 4 Vesta |
| Composition | Primarily magnesium-rich orthopyroxene, a little plagioclase & olivine |
| Number_of_specimens | ~40 |
| TKW | |
| Image2 | Tatahouine Diogenite 72g.jpg |
| Image2_caption | Tatahouine, diogenite |
| :: |
|Subdivision = Group |Name = Diogenite |Alternative_names = |Image = JohnstownDiogenite.jpg |Image_caption = The Johnstown Diogenite. |Image_alt_text = |Compositional_type = |Type = Achondrite |Class = Asteroidal achondrite |Clan = HED |Group = |Structural_classification = Igneous rocks of plutonic origin |Parent_body = 4 Vesta |Composition = Primarily magnesium-rich orthopyroxene, a little plagioclase & olivine |Petrologic_type = |Number_of_specimens = ~40 |TKW = |Image2 = Tatahouine Diogenite 72g.jpg |Image2_caption = Tatahouine, diogenite |Image2_alt_text = Diogenites are a group of the HED meteorite clan, a type of achondritic stony meteorites.
Origin and composition
Diogenites are currently believed to originate from deep within the crust of the asteroid 4 Vesta, and as such are part of the HED meteorite clan. There are about 40 distinct members known.
Diogenites are composed of igneous rocks of plutonic origin, having solidified slowly enough deep within Vesta's crust to form crystals which are larger than in the eucrites. These crystals are primarily magnesium-rich orthopyroxene, with small amounts of plagioclase and olivine.
Name
Diogenites are named for Diogenes of Apollonia, an ancient Greek philosopher who was the first to suggest an outer space origin for meteorites.
References
References
- Beck, A. W.. (2010). "Diogenites as polymict breccias composed of orthopyroxenite and harzburgite". Meteoritics and Planetary Science.
- Dawn, Walter & Audrey. "Why is it called Diogenite?".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::