Iridium is one of my sweetie-pies. He is very
gentle, slow, and will happily sit on your lap or shoulders for hours. He
also loves to stick his nose in my ear and flick his tongue.
The Element
Iridium is sometimes called platinum's
"sister" metal. They are frequently found together and are similar
in appearance except for iridium's yellowish tint. Iridium is rarely found on
Earth except in conjunction with meteorite impacts. Probably the most famous
iridium deposit is at the K-T boundary, laid down at the end of the Cretaceous
period 65 million years ago. It is one of the pieces of evidence linking the
extinction of the dinosaurs to an impact of a large meteorite.
