Amoeboid olivine aggregates are common millimeter size inclusions in carbonaceous chondrite meteorites. Some are amoeba shaped, some are more chondrule-like. Their textures and compositions are variable, too – some appear to be transitional between calcium-aluminum-rich inclusions and some transitional between chondrules. The olivine is the magnesium-rich end member, forsterite. It was formed not from a melt of precursor dust but as a condensate from vapor. Though formation was in an environment of near-solar elemental composition, according to researchers, AOA tend to be low in metal. This might be due to aerodynamic sorting in the early solar nebula. Still, some AOA are outlined with small blebs of nickel iron.
