How did some asteroids develop metal cores and basaltic surfaces?

Some asteroids developed metal cores and basaltic surfaces through a process known as differentiation.1

Originally formed from primitive material, these asteroids were heated by sources such as short-lived radionuclides or solar magnetic induction. This heating caused their interiors to melt, allowing geochemical processes to occur. Because metallic iron is denser than other materials, it sank to the center of the body, forming an iron core and forcing less-dense basaltic lavas onto the surface.1

Evidence of this process can be observed today in several ways:
* Basaltic Surfaces: Some asteroids, such as Vesta and Magnya, retain their basaltic crusts.1
* Exposed Cores: Collisions have disrupted other differentiated asteroids, stripping away their crusts and mantles to expose their iron-rich interiors, which are now classified as M-class asteroids.1
* Partial Stripping: Some asteroids may have had their crusts only partially removed, exposing underlying layers visible on A-class, E-class, and R-class asteroids.1