Stacking faults in magnetite from the Allende meteorite

Stacking faults of the type 1/4 〈110〉 {110} have been observed in magnetic crystals of a chondrule from the meteorite Allende. A stacking fault assemblage of all six possible orientations of the faults has been analysed in detail. The displacement vector 1/4 〈110〉 is always perpendicular to the corresponding fault plane {110}. It is shown that other orientations of fault planes would lead to unallowed short distances between closely neighboured cations. Three fault planes may meet in triple-junctions, their three displacement vectors adding up to a lattice vector. The stacking faults affect only the cation sublattice and form probably during growth of the magnetite crystals.