The Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 83, 1999 July
Jeffrey N. GROSSMAN*
U. S. Geological Survey, MS 954, Reston,
Virginia 20192, USA
*Author's e-mail address: jgrossman@usgs.gov
For supplemental
maps and photographs, visit the Meteoritical Bulletin Web Site at:
http://www.uark.edu/studorg/metsoc/metbull.htm
(Received 1999 April 30)
Abstract–Meteoritical Bulletin No. 83 lists information for 898
newly described meteorites. These
include 473 from Antarctica, 341 from the Sahara, and 22 from dry lakes in the
southwestern United States. Seven of
the meteorites are falls: Kunya-Urgench
(H5), Lohawat (howardite), Ourique (H4), Portales Valley (H6), San Pedro de
Quiles (L6), Talampaya (eucrite), and Zag (H3-6). Also included are a dozen new iron meteorites; several mesosiderites;
a pallasite; several eucrites, howardites, and a diogenite; several ureilites;
a variety of CM, CO, CV, CR, and R chondrites; and numerous unequilibrated
ordinary chondrites. All shock
classifications are after Stöffler et al.
(1991) and weathering grades are after Wlotzka (1993), except as noted. All italicized abbreviations refer to
addresses tabulated at the end of this document.
Acfer
049 27º25'N 3º43'E
Agemour, Algeria
Found 1989
November 19
Ordinary
chondrite (H6)
An 82.9 g stone from the Acfer
area has been recently classified (see Meteoritical
Bulletins 71–74). Classification
and mineralogy (H. Schulze, MNB): olivine, Fa17.6; pyroxene, Fs15.6; shock stage,
S2; weathering grade, W1.
Specimens: MNB.
Alkali 37º52'N
117º24'W
Esmeralda County,
Nevada, USA
Found 1998 July
20
Ordinary
chondrite (H6)
Two stones, weighing a total of 30.47 g, were recovered two
miles apart by Nicholas Gessler from the dry surface of Alkali Lake. Mineralogy and classification (A. Rubin, UCLA):
olivine, Fa19.3; shock stage, S2; weathering grade, W2. Specimens: type specimen,
5.4 g, UCLA; main mass, Gessler.
ANSMET meteorites
(463 meteorites)
Antarctica
Found 1996–1998
Appendix 1 brings up-to-date the list of officially
announced meteorites from the U.S. Antarctic Meteorite (ANSMET) program. 7794 meteorites were previously listed in
the Meteoritical Bulletin, nos. 76,
79, and 82; these meteorites bring the total to 8257. The meteorites in Appendix 1 were published in the Antarctic Meteorite Newsletter (AMN),
issues 21(2) (1998) and 22(1) (1999).
Listed are the classifications, masses, degrees of weathering, olivine
and pyroxene compositions, pairing information, ice fields upon which the
meteorites were found, and bibliographic information, all sorted by sample
name. Note that meteorite pairings may
be tentative. A new name plus
abbreviation approved for some of these meteorites is Mount DeWitt (DEW), with approximate coordinates of 77º12'S,
159º50'E.
Bechar 001 and 002 ~30º50'N 3º20'W
Algeria
Found before 1998
August
Ordinary
chondrites (L5 and H6)
Two large stones (39 kg and 12 kg) plus a number of small
fragments were sold to Bruno Fectay and Carine Bidaut by nomads. They later recognized that an 18 g piece
(now called Bechar 002) was higher in metal than the main masses and therefore
was not paired. Classification and
mineralogy (P. Sipiera, Harper). Bechar 001:
olivine, Fa25.3; pyroxene, Fs20. Bechar 002: olivine, Fa18.5; pyroxene, Fs16.4Wo1.4. Specimens:
type specimens, 140 g (Bechar 001) and 15 g (Bechar 002), DuPont; main masses, Fectay.
Beni Semguine ~30º10'N 5º40'W
Morocco
Found before 1998
August
Ordinary
chondrite (H5, Willaroy-like)
A 150 g meteorite was brought to the attention of Bruno
Fectay and Carine Bidaut by nomads seeking to sell the specimen. Find circumstances are not well
known. Classification and mineralogy
(P. Sipiera, Harper): olivine, Fa14.2±0.4
(n = 13); pyroxene, Fs12.5±0.4 Wo1.4±0.1
(n = 7); mineral compositions similar to Willaroy. Specimens:
type specimen, 1.8 g, DuPont;
main mass, Fectay.
Blackwood Creek ~40º30'N ~101º5'W
Hayes County,
Kansas, USA
Found 1998 July
Ordinary
chondrite (H6)
A 67 g oriented stone was found by
Mr. Mike Jones, a student of paleontology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln,
while he was digging for fossils.
Classification and mineralogy (A. Rubin, UCLA): olivine, Fa19.5; shock stage,
S2; weathering grade, W2.
Specimens: type specimen, 10 g, UCLA; main mass, OShaw.
Bonnie Claire 001 and 002 37º13'N
117º5'W
Nye County,
Nevada, USA
Found 1998 May 2
Ordinary
chondrites (H5)
Two meteorite fragments that fit together,
weighing a total of 23.03 g (BC 001), and an 80.8 g stone (BC 002) were recovered by
Nicholas Gessler from the surface of a dry lake near the town of Bonnie Claire;
all three pieces were found within a meter of each other. Mineralogy and classification by A. Rubin, UCLA.
BC001: olivine, Fa19.2; shock stage,
S2; weathering grade, W3. BC 002: olivine, Fa18.6; shock stage,
S3; weathering grade, W2. Subtle
chemical and textural differences cast some doubt on the pairing of BC 001 and
002. Specimens: type specimens, 7.6 g (BC 001) and 17.5 g
(BC 002), UCLA; main masses, Gessler.
Dar
al Gani 178-609, see Saharan Meteorites from Libya
Dar al Gani 476 27º21.16'N
16º12.04'E
Libya
Found 1998 May 1
Martian basalt
(shergottite)
A brownish stone weighing 2015 g was found in Dar
al Gani, Sahara. Mineralogy and
classification (J. Zipfel and P. Scherer, MPI): fusion crust absent; meteorite has a
porphyritic texture, consisting of olivine embedded in a fine-grained matrix of
clinopyroxene laths (pigeonite and minor augite) and interstitial feldspathic
glass; mineral abundances similar to EET 79001 lithology A; Fe-sulfide, Ti-rich
chromites, ilmenite and chromite present; shock features include twinning and
fracturing of clinopyroxene, mosaicism of some olivine, and plagioclase
converted to feldspathic glass; impact-melt pockets abundant; extensive
terrestrial weathering resulted in carbonate veins crosscutting the meteorite
along grain boundaries and cracks; bulk chemistry intermediate between basaltic
and lherzolitic shergottites, with a high bulk Mg/(Mg + Fe), high concentrations
of siderophile elements, relatively low abundances of heavy rare earth elements (HREE),
and a strong light rare earth element (LREE)
depletion; exposure age 1.1 ± 0.2 Ma; 36Ar/132Xe and 84Kr/132Xe typical of
Martian meteorites, and 129Xe/132Xe similar to Chassigny.
Oxygen isotopes (I. Franchi, OU): d18O = 4.57, d17O = 2.69 permil rel. SMOW
(D17O = 0.317). The petrography, mineralogy, and noble gas
chemistry of DaG 476 and DaG 489 are very similar, and the two are likely
paired (L. Folco, MNA-SI, and J.
Zipfel and L. Schultz, MPI). Specimens:
type specimen, several grams, and one polished section, MPI; main mass with anonymous
finder.
Dar al Gani 489 ~27°08'N 16°05'E
Libya
Found 1997
Martian basalt
(shergottite)
A dark-brown stone of 2146 g was found in Dar al
Gani. Mineralogy and
classification (L. Folco and B. Anselmi, MNA-SI): devoid of fusion crust; porphyritic basaltic
texture consisting of millimeter-sized phenocrysts of brown olivine (Fo61–78, Mn/Fe =
0.021–0.025 atomic) set in a more fine grained matrix of pigeonite laths (En57–72 Wo5–15, Mn/Fe =
0.030–0.038 atomic) and interstitial feldspathic glass (An56–67Ab33–43); minor mineral
components include augite, chromite, Ti-rich chromite, ilmenite, merrillite and
pyrrhotite; texture, mineral modes and chemistry close to EETA79001 lithology
A; shock deformation features include twinning in pigeonite, strong mosaicism
and planar deformation features in olivine, and abundant impact-melt pockets
and veinlets; pervasive veins filled in by calcite are due to terrestrial
weathering. Oxygen isotopes (A. S. Sexton
and I. A. Franchi, OU): d17O = 2.895, d18O = 4.980, and D17O = 0.305
permil. The petrography, mineralogy,
and noble gas chemistry of DaG 476 and DaG 489 are very similar, and the two
are likely paired (L. Folco, MNA-SI,
and J. Zipfel and L. Schultz, MPI). Specimens:
main mass with anonymous finder, 34.9 g; two polished thin sections, MNA-SI.
Drayton 48º40'N 97º7'W
Pembina County,
North Dakota, USA
Found 1982 July
Ordinary
chondrite (H4/5)
A 2.35 kg stone was found in an
otherwise rock-free field by Mr. Phil Raney.
Mineralogy and classification (N. Forsman, UND; C. Lewis, ASU; A.
Rubin, UCLA): olivine, Fa17.8; shock stage,
S3. Specimens: main mass, UND.
Euclid 47º57.5'N 96º42'W
Polk County,
Minnesota, USA
Found 1970 July
Ordinary
chondrite (H5)
A 2.5 kg stone was found in a
field by Mr. Dan Kopecky and kept for 26 years in a coffee can. Mineralogy and classification (N. Forsman, UND; A. Brearley, UNM): olivine, Fa18.4; pyroxene, Fs16.4Wo1.3. Specimens:
main mass, Dan Kopecky, RR 1, Box 120B, Euclid, MN 56722; type specimen,
UND.
Fairfield 39º20'N 84º36'W
Butler County,
Ohio, USA
Found 1974
September
Iron, coarse
octahedrite (IIICD)
An iron mass of 1600 g was found by Mr. Roy Ballinger among
material dredged by the American Materials Company from 120 feet depth in
a gravel pit in Pleistocene glacial deposits.
Several other iron specimens may have been recovered at later
times. Classification and analysis (Choi et al., 1995): Ga = 78.4 ppm; Ge = 329 ppm; Ir = 1.79 ppm;
Ni = 6.61 wt%.
Specimens: 746 g, MUO; 152 g, UCLA.
Falsey
Draw 33º50.6'N
103º56.2'W
Chaves County,
New Mexico, USA
Found 1995
Ordinary
chondrite (L6)
A 4.18 kg stone was found by
Kenneth Shirley. Mineralogy and
classification (A. Brearley, UNM): olivine, Fa25.2; pyroxene, Fs21.4; shock stage,
S1; weathering grade, W2.
Specimens: main mass with
finder; type specimen, 6.7 g, UNM.
Felt
(b) 36º35'N 102º42'W
Cimarron County,
Oklahoma, USA
Found 1990 or
1991
Ordinary
chondrite (L3.5)
A 5.59 kg stone was found by a
farmer plowing a grain field.
Mineralogy and classification (A. Brearley, UNM; A. Rubin, UCLA; P.
Benoit, UArk): an L chondrite genomict breccia; about
two-thirds of the material is L3.5 (based on induced thermoluminescence
sensitivity), shock stage, S4; the other one-third is L5, shock stage, S5;
black melt veins are abundant; typical olivine composition ~Fa25 (range Fa1–31); metal
abundance, ~9.3 vol%; weathering grade, W1. Specimens: main mass, Reed; type specimens, 42.9 g UCLA;
37.5 g, UNM.
Foum
Zguid 30º4'N 6º54'W
Jebel Bani,
Morocco
Found 1998
Iron, coarsest
octahedrite (IIAB)
A 6 kg iron meteorite was found in
the desert by a person hunting for meteorites.
Classification and description (J. Wasson, UCLA): bulk metal Co = 0.50
wt%, Ni = 5.81 wt%, Ga = 55.5 ppm, As = 9.91 ppm, Ir = 0.021 ppm, Au = 1.078
ppm. Specimens: 191 g, Cilz;
483 g, Schwade; 34 g, UCLA.
Frontier
Mountains
(10 meteorites)
Victoria Land,
Antarctica
Found 1995
These meteorites (Table
1) were collected during the
1995/1996 PNRA/EUROMET expeditions to the Frontier Mountains. Classifications by R. Carampin, A. M. Fioretti
and G. Molin, UPad. Specimens:
A. S. Sexton, OU.
Gan Gan 42º40'S 68º5'W (±5')
Chubut, Argentina
Found 1984
Iron, fine
octahedrite (IVA)
An 83 kg iron meteorite was found
by a person collecting pine cones.
Classification and description (J. Wasson, UCLA): bulk metal Co = 0.41
wt%, Ni = 9.12 wt%, Ga = 2.36 ppm, As = 12.1 ppm, Ir = 1.11 ppm, Au = 2.216
ppm. Specimens: 1.74 kg, Cilz;
29 kg, Schwade; 700 g, UCLA.
Gao-Guenie, new name
With the recent
paper by Bourot-Denise et al. (1998),
the Meteorite Nomenclature Committee has decided that a new, collective name, Gao-Guenie, will be bestowed upon all
meteorites formerly identified as either Gao
(Upper Volta) (frequently truncated to Gao)
or Guenie. It had been reported that two meteorite showers occurred one
month apart in 1960 in the country now known as Burkina Faso. But the new work confirms long-held
suspicions that the two meteorites are indistinguishable from each other and
that there was most likely only one fall (1960 March 5). The confusion about this meteorite has been
compounded by the fact that new stones continue to be found ~40 years after
the fall and are given arbitrarily one or the other name. Henceforth, the official name for all
meteorites from this shower will be Gao-Guenie,
with the names Gao (Upper Volta) and Guenie as recognized synonyms.
Gruñidora 24º10'N
102º0'W
Zacatecas, Mexico
Found 1998
September
Ordinary
chondrite (H4)
A 130 g meteorite was found near La
Gruñidora by Juan Trejo while searching in the easternmost part of the Nuevo
Mercurio strewnfield. Classification
and mineralogy (D. Weber, Mün): olivine, Fa18.0;
pyroxene, Fs15.2±1.8;
shock stage, S2; weathering grade, W4.
Specimens: main mass, Heinlein; type specimen, 1.6 g, and thin
section, Mün.
Hammadah al Hamra 188-258, see Saharan Meteorites from Libya
Huss
meteorites
The meteorites listed in
Table 2 were all listed in the catalogs of Huss (1976, 1986). Many of these specimens are noted in Graham et al. (1985) under the corresponding
entries without the letter in parentheses.
It is likely that most are not paired with the other listed specimens. The names of these meteorites have now been
formally approved by the Nomenclature Committee. In doing so, several names are abolished: Bethel, Elida and New Moore now become
synonyms as shown in Table
3. In
addition, Table 3 notes several other synonyms that arise out of issues related
to the two Huss catalogs and the Graham et
al. (1985) listings. See the
separate entry concerning the nomenclature of stones from Kress, Texas.
Jabal Akakus, see Saharan Meteorites from Libya
Kaigorod,
see
Vyatka
Kossuth ~40º40'N 84º21'W
Auglaize County,
Ohio, USA
Found 1975
Iron, fine
octahedrite (IVA)
A 5.9 kg iron meteorite was found
by a farmer in a field. Classification
and description (J. Wasson, UCLA): bulk metal Co = 0.41 wt%, Ni = 9.27 wt%, Cu
= 122 ppm, Ga = 2.56 ppm, As = 12.2 ppm, Ir = 0.87 ppm, Au = 2.25
ppm. Specimens: 241 g, Cilz;
279 g,
Schwade; 741 g, NHMV; 64 g, UCLA.
Kress (c) and Kress (d), name change
Table 2 lists
a 5.6 kg L6 chondrite from the Huss (1986) catalog named "Kress
(c)." In Meteoritical Bulletin 81, a 57 g H5 chondrite was also listed under
this name. Henceforth, the 57 g stone
will be called Kress (d), whereas the 5.6 kg stone will retain the
name Kress (c).
Kunya-Urgench 42º15'N
59º12'E
Dashkhowus
Velayat, Turkmenistan
Fell 1998 June
20, 17:25 local time
Ordinary
chondrite (H5)
A large bolide was observed by people in several villages,
and a loud whistling followed by a crashing noise was heard. A large mass impacted 30–50 m from
several farmers in a cotton field, creating a 6 m wide, 4 m deep crater. A single stone weighing ~900 kg was
recovered from the crater, and 1000–1100 kg was recovered in total. Mineralogy and classification (O. Odekov, Turk; S. Muhamednazarov, NHCT; A. Ivanov, Vernad): olivine, Fa18.0; pyroxene, Fs15.9. Specimens:
type specimens, NHCT, Vernad; main mass, Turk. This meteorite is
also known by the name Saparmurat Turkmenbashy.
Lahmada ~27º10'N 9º30'W
Western Sahara
Found 1998
Ordinary
chondrite (H6)
Many fragments of a chondrite totaling 7.36 kg were found
in the Lahmada region near the town of Zag.
The three largest pieces fit together forming a mass of 3.08 kg. Classification and mineralogy (A. Bischoff
and D. Weber, Mün): breccia containing
shock veins; olivine Fa20.4, pyroxene Fs18.3; shock stage, S3; weathering grade, W3. Specimens: main mass,
7.34 kg, JNMC; type specimen, Mün.
Lahoma ~36º23'N 98º5'W
Major County,
Oklahoma, USA
Found 1963
Ordinary
chondrite (L5)
A 21.8 kg stone was found west of
the town of Lahoma by a farmer while plowing his field. He believed it was a meteorite and kept the
stone in his front yard for 35 years.
Description and classification (A. Rubin, UCLA): olivine, Fa25.3; shock stage,
S4; weathering grade, W1; oriented stone; contains black shock veins and
many dark inclusions. Specimens: main mass, ARN; type specimen, 20 g, UCLA.
Las Colonas 22º35'N
101º59'W
Zacatecas, Mexico
Found 1994
November 25
Achondrite
(howardite)
A 148 g oriented stone was found
by Scott Williams in a corn field.
Mineralogy and classification (D. Kring, UAz): a breccia dominated
by orthopyroxene-rich (diogenitic) material but also containing a few medium-grained
pyroxene- and plagioclase-rich (eucritic) clasts; orthopyroxene,
Fe/(Fe + Mg) = 0.25 mol%, FeO/MgO = 0.27 g/g; bulk
rare earth element abundance 2–3´ chondrites. Specimens:
main mass with finder; type specimen, 11 g plus two thin sections, UAz.
Leeds, discredited
name.
Recent work by Kissin et al. (1999) has established that the
Leeds iron meteorite (group IAB) is actually a misidentified piece of
Toluca. "Leeds" is hereby
abolished as a unique meteorite name, and now will be a synonym for Toluca.
Lemmon 45º56'N 102º11'W
Perkins County,
South Dakota, USA
Found before
1984, recognized 1998
Ordinary chondrite (H5)
An 6.68 kg stone was found beside
a fence post by a woman; she placed the stone along her driveway border. It was recognized by Mr. Allen Shaw, who was
conducting a house-to-house search for meteorites. Classification and mineralogy (A. Rubin, UCLA): olivine, Fa19.1; shock stage,
S1; weathering grade, W3.
Specimens: type specimen, 21 g, UCLA; main mass, AShaw.
Leslie 34º36'41"N 100º51'18"W
Hall County,
Texas, USA
Found ~1968
Ordinary
chondrite (H5)
An 895 g stone was found by Mr.
John Hancock of Memphis, Texas, in an old native American campsite. It is possible that the stone was transported
from its original fall location by the indigenous people. Description and classification
(M. Zolensky, JSC): stone is extremely weathered, containing
abundant Fe oxides and Ca sulfate, and almost no metal; olivine, Fa19.7; pyroxene, Fs19.8 (possibly too
high due to weathering); feldspar, Ab70–75Or3–4; shock stage, S2/3. Specimens:
10.8 g and type thin section, JSC;
main mass with finder.
Lewis
Cliff 88021, reclassification
K. Welton (UCB)
has reclassified LEW 88021 as an H4 chondrite (confirmed by T. J. McCoy, SI):
average olivine, Fa20.6; pyroxene zoned, Fs6.0–17.6.
The meteorite may be paired with LEW 88174 on the basis of the 10Be, 26Al, and 36Cl concentrations
in metal and silicate phases.
Lohawat 26º57'56"N 72º37'36"E
Rajasthan, India
Fell 1994 October
30 (23:45 local time)
Achondrite
(howardite)
A stone of ~40 kg fell in an open field, forming a
50 cm deep crater. About 6 kg was
collected by the GSI after the event
was reported in local newspapers.
Mineralogy and classification (Chattopadhyay et al., 1998; Singh et al.,
1998): a polymict, regolith breccia,
containing glassy spherules and anorthositic, dunitic, and gabbroic clasts
embedded in a brecciated matrix. Bulk
compositional data not yet available to confirm classification. Specimens:
6.245 kg, GSI.
Lucerne Valley
Meteorites
(17 meteorites)
San Bernardino
County, California, USA
Found 1963 to
1999
Since 1963, 17 meteorite specimens have been found on
Lucerne Dry Lake (Table
4). The
collection of meteorites on this ~3 × 6 km playa is
aided by the paucity of terrestrial rocks coarser than small pebbles. These meteorites shall be called Lucerne
Valley (abbreviated LV), numbered in the order that
they were found. "Lucerne
Valley" (Graham et al., 1985)
now becomes a synonym for the seven stones included under that name, LV
001–007. Descriptions and classifications
by C. Moore (ASU) and A. Rubin (UCLA).
The thirteen specimens that were available for analysis represent seven
separate falls.
Maria
da Fé 22º18'S 45º22'W
Minas Gerais,
Brazil
Found 1987
Iron, fine
octahedrite (group IVA)
An 18 kg iron meteorite was found
by Benedito Silva, who was plowing a field.
Classification and analysis (M. E. Zucolotto, Rio;
J. T. Wasson, UCLA): bulk metal Co = 0.38 wt%, Ni = 7.45 wt%, Cu
= 139 ppm, Ga = 1.68 ppm, As = 2.16 ppm, Ir = 3.78 ppm, Au = 0.615 ppm. Specimens:
main mass, D. B. Ninis, Maria da Fé, Brazil; type specimen, 90 g, Rio.
Ourique 37º36.5'N 8º16.8'W
Beja, Portugal
Fell 1998 December
28 (00:50 UT)
Ordinary
chondrite (H4)
Many stones with a total mass probably near 20 kg were
recovered along a rural path after a brilliant fireball and loud noises were
observed by several people. Antonio
Silva recovered the first fragments two days after the fall and, subsequently,
local villagers recovered other pieces.
The meteorite made an elliptical crater (60 ´ 30 cm, 20 cm deep), and most
fragments were found within 55 m of the others. Mineralogy and classification (J. F. Monteiro, ULis):
olivine, Fa18.3; pyroxene, Fs16.4;
chondritic structure well developed. Specimens: 2.6 kg, MNHNL; type specimens, ~2 kg, ULis.
Page
City 39º10'N 101º17'W
Thomas County,
Kansas, USA
Found 1980
Iron, fine
octahedrite (IVA)
A 13.63 kg iron meteorite was
found by Ernest Kistler while he was plowing a field. Classification and description (J. Wasson, UCLA): bulk metal Co = 0.42
wt%, Ni = 9.55 wt%, Ga = 2.08 ppm, As = 14.3 ppm, Ir = 0.324 ppm, Au = 2.680
ppm. Specimens: 355 g, Cilz;
4 kg, Schwade; 403 g, NHMV; 78 g, UCLA.
Pampa
Providencia 24º27.0'S 69º34.3'W
Antofagasta, Chile
Found 1994
October
Iron, medium
octahedrite (IIIAB)
A 12.4 kg mass was found in the desert by a geologist doing
routine geological reconnaissance. Note
that this meteorite has been sold under the unofficial name Pampas Provenciales. Classification and description (J. D.
Gleason, D. H. Hill, and D. A. Kring, UAz): kamacite bandwidth, 0.96 mm; bulk
composition, Ni = 8.86 wt%, Ga = 17.8 ppm, Ir = 0.061 ppm, Au = 1.54 ppm;
contains 6.5 vol% schreibersite; surface is densely pitted. Specimens:
612 g, UAz; main mass, Casper.
Pampas
Provenciales, unofficial synonym for Pampa Providencia
Portales
Valley fall centroid: 34º10.5'N 103º17.7'W
Roosevelt County,
New Mexico, USA
Fell 1998 June
13, ~07:30 MDT (~13:30 UT)
Ordinary
chondrite (H6)
After detonations were heard and smoky trails seen in the
sky, a shower of meteorites landed near Portales, New Mexico. 53 objects have been recovered, with a total
mass of 71.4 kg. The largest pieces
weighed 16.5 kg (witnessed to fall by Nelda Wallace and Fred Stafford), 17.0 kg
(found by Elton Brown), and at least nine others over 1 kg. A 530 g fragment went through the roof of
Gayle Newberry's barn and embedded itself in a wall, indicating a trajectory
west to east. The elliptical strewn
field is approximately 7.7 ´ 2 km, trending
N60–65ºE, although recent reports may extend this somewhat. Mineralogy (D. A. Kring, J. D. Gleason, and
D. H. Hill, UAz): olivine, Fa19.3±0.4; pyroxene, Fs17.2±0.3 Wo1.36±0.27; kamacite
contains 0.55 ± 0.03 wt% Co; compositions indicate
H-chondrite affinity; olivine indicates shock stage S1, plagioclase indicates
S2–S3, and abundant opaque shock veins suggest S3 or higher (discrepancies may
be due to annealing). Macroscopic
description (D. A. Kring, UAz): Some individuals are crosscut by an
unusually high number of metal-rich shock veins, and some specimens are
composed dominantly of metal. These
metal-rich samples appear to be large single veins, or pockets of metal
produced by intersecting veins. Angular
chondritic clasts may have moved a few millimeters along metal-rich veins. Etching of centimeter-sized metal areas
reveals a fine Widmanstätten pattern, bandwidth = 0.02 to 0.81 mm (average 0.32
mm). The composition of kamacite in
metal-rich regions is the same as metal in chondritic areas (0.56 ± 0.05 wt%
Co). The source of the metal in the
shock veins appears to be the H-chondrite host, which is depleted in its normal
complement of metal (4.4% rather than 15–19%).
Specimens: type specimen, 49 g,
and thin section, UAz; 16.5 kg mass
purchased by consortium including FMNH,
SI, UCLA, and UNM. 17.0 kg mass with finder; much of remaining
material is being sold by commercial meteorite dealers.
Powellsville 38º40'N 82º47'W
Scioto County,
Ohio, USA
Found 1990
Ordinary chondrite
(H5)
A 4310 g stone was found ~40 cm underground
by a man digging out a tree stump in his yard.
Classification and mineralogy (M. Prinz, AMNH): olivine, Fa19; pyroxene, Fs17Wo0.5; weathering
grade, W3. Specimens: main mass, AShaw; type specimen, 30.8 g, AMNH.
Primm 35º40'N
115º22'W
Clark County,
Nevada, USA
Found 1997
December 23
Ordinary
chondrite (H5)
104 meteorite fragments weighing a total of 3.383 kg were
recovered by Nicholas, Paul and Ora Gessler and Katherine Hayles after an
extensive search of Roach Dry Lake.
Many of the fragments could be fit together to form larger pieces. The largest individual fragments weighed
281, 202, 137, 122, 109, and 101 g. The
strewn field measures approximately 1 ´ 2 miles. Mineralogy and classification (A. Rubin, UCLA):
olivine, Fa18.5; shock stage, S2; weathering grade, W3. Specimens: type specimen,
27 g, UCLA; main mass, Gessler.
Quijingue 10º45'S
39º13'W
Bahia, Brazil
Found ~1984
Pallasite
A 59 kg
meteorite was found ~1 m underground by a farmer digging holes to plant trees. It was given by the farmer’s son to a miner,
Aparecido Crespi, who had the object identified. Classification and analysis (M. E. Zucolotto, Rio; J. T. Wasson, UCLA): olivine, ~70 vol%; Ni content of metal, 7.5 wt%;
weathering grade, W3. Specimens: main mass, A. Crespi, Sao Paulo, Brazil;
type specimen, 650 g, Rio.
Roach 35º38'N
115º22'W
Clark County,
Nevada, USA
Found 1998
January 2
Ordinary
chondrite (LL6)
Three fresh meteorite fragments that fit together, weighing
a total of 10.56 g, were recovered within 25 m of each other by Nicholas and
Paul Gessler after an extensive search of Roach Dry Lake. Mineralogy and classification (A. Rubin, UCLA):
olivine, Fa30.4; shock stage, S2; weathering grade, W0. Specimens: type specimen,
3.3 g, UCLA; main mass, Gessler.
Roosevelt
County Meteorites
Roosevelt County,
New Mexico, USA
Found 1995–1996
(three
meteorites)
These meteorites (Table 5) were found on
sand ablation surfaces. Classification
and mineralogy by A. Brearley, UNM.
Sagd, synonym for Zag
Safsaf ~30º16'N 4º40'W
Near Morocco/Algeria
border
Found late 1998
Ordinary
chondrite (L6)
Many fragments of a meteorite with a total mass of 11.87 kg
were found by local people.
Inhabitants consider the site to be in Morocco, although the
border with Algeria is uncertain.
Classification and mineralogy (A. Bischoff and D. Weber, Mün):
breccia; olivine Fa25.1, pyroxene Fs20.9; shock stage, S3; weathering degree, W3. Specimens:
main mass, 11.85 kg, JNMC;
type specimen, Mün.
Sahara 98007–98557, see Saharan meteorites from unknown
locations
(308 meteorites)
Libya
Found 1996–1998
At least four different anonymous finders recovered 308 meteorites from various regions of the Libyan Sahara (Table 6). Remarkable findings include two probably paired Martian basalts (shergottites; see separate entries for DaG 476 and DaG 489), five eucrites (DaG 380, 391, 411, 567, and 609), two ureilites (DaG 485 and DaG 494), an iron meteorite falling in the low-Ni trend of IAB-IIICD iron meteorites (DaG 406), four CV chondrites (DaG 521, 526, 533 and 535), one CM chondrite (DaG 557), one CR chondrite (DaG 574), and two C3 chondrites of uncertain classification (DaG 429 and 430).
Saharan
meteorites from unknown locations
Sahara, country
unknown
Found 1998
(23 meteorites)
These meteorites (Table
7) have been collected by
Mr. Marc Labenne and his family in the Sahara.
The Labennes will not disclose the exact locations of these meteorites
at the present time. They note that the
secret origin (w, z) in Table 7 is several hundred kilometers distant from the
origin (x, y) given in Meteoritical
Bulletin 82. Classified by A.
Bischoff and D. Weber, Mün. Specimens:
main masses, Labenne; type
specimens, Mün.
San
Pedro de Quiles 31º1'S 71º24'W
Coquimbo, Chile
Fell 1956 October
Ordinary
chondrite (L6)
A 282 gram stone fell a few meters
from a farm worker around 18:30 on a spring evening (date unknown). It was recovered the next day from the
bottom of a small hole after water was poured over the stone, which was
thought to be hot. The object was
identified as a meteorite by a Sr. Rodriguez in Ovalle, who kept it. Classification and mineralogy (M. Grady, NHM):
olivine, Fa24.2; pyroxene, Fs21.8; shock stage, S4; weathering grade, W1. Specimens: type specimen,
1 g, plus thin section, NHM; main
mass, Sr. L. Arriagada, Ingeniero Quimico U.S.A.CH., La Verbena 4907, Nuñoa,
Santiago, Chile.
Saparmurat
Turkmenbashy, synonym for Kunya-Urgench
Sarir
Quattusah 003, see Saharan Meteorites from Libya
Slaton 33º26'N 101º45'W
Lubbock County,
Texas, USA
Found 1941,
recognized 1994
Ordinary chondrite (L4)
A 1070 gram stone was found by H.
M. Cade while he was plowing a cotton field.
Mr. Cade kept it on a shelf until his death. Classification and mineralogy (A. Rubin, UCLA): olivine, Fa23.1; shock stage,
S2; weathering grade, W4.
Specimens: type specimen, 19 g, UCLA; main mass, AShaw.
Talampaya exact location unknown
Argentina
Fell ~1995
Achondrite
(eucrite)
Stories circulating among
meteorite dealers tell of a meteorite that fell in Argentina, producing a sonic
boom that scared a mountain climber.
The climber eventually found the meteorite somewhere down range. The location of the fall may have been in
San Juan or La Rioja province. One 1421
gram stone was recovered, and sold in the United States. Classification and mineralogy (P. Warren, UCLA):
monomict breccia with a cataclastic texture, containing some
millimeter-sized unbrecciated clasts; pyroxenes, En58.6–60.0Wo1.2–1.6 and En40.5Wo45.7; plagioclase, An89–95, mean An92; chromite
contains ~1.26 wt% MgO; very low in incompatible
trace elements; bulk Cr content (3400 ppm) typical of cumulate eucrites. Oxygen isotopes (M. Prinz, AMNH):
typical eucrite composition.
Specimens: main mass being sold by
commercial meteorite dealers; 530 g, AMNH.
Tan-Tan,
synonym
for Zag
Tindouf 27°45'N, 8°8'W
Tindouf, Algeria
Found 1997 Winter
Ordinary
Chondrite (H6)
Two individuals with a total mass of 1550 g were found near
the town of Tindouf in western Algeria.
Classification and mineralogy (A. Stucki; ETH): olivine, Fa19.0; pyroxene, Fs15.9Wo1.3; shock stage,
S3; weathering degree, W2.
Specimens: type specimen, ETH; main mass, 920 g, JNMC.
Tinnie 33°23'N, 105°15'W
Lincoln County, New
Mexico, USA
Found 1978,
recognized 1999
Iron meteorite
(IVB)
A 15.3 kg iron meteorite was found on a hilltop by a graduate student
doing research on Barbary Sheep.
Classification and analysis (J. Wasson, UCLA):
a plessitic ataxite with numerous vugs up to 1 cm in diameter; bulk
composition, Co = 0.79%, Ni = 18.4%, Cu = 4 ppm, Ga = 0.34 ppm, Ir = 16 ppm, Au
= 0.14 ppm. Specimens: 5.9 kg, Farmer;
5.3 kg, Killgore; 92 g, ASU; type specimen, 53 g, UCLA.
Toluca, see entry for
Leeds
Toronto find location unknown
Quebec (?),
Canada
Found 1970s or
1980s
Iron, coarse
octahedrite (IAB)
A 2.715 kg iron meteorite was
found by Mr. Karl Heinz, probably while he was on a canoe trip in Quebec. His widow gave the meteorite to Mrs.
Hildegard Weltner in 1989. Classification (S. Kissin,
LU) and petrography (G. Wilson, UTor): kamacite bandwidth
1.64 ± 0.56 mm; kamacite polygonal with Neumann bands and
abundant rhabdites; troilite nodules present; no heat affected zone; bulk
composition, Ni = 7.04 wt%, Co = 4810 ppm, Ga = 87 ppm; Ge = 372 ppm, Ir = 2.55
ppm, Au = 1.91 ppm; probably not paired with Canyon Diablo based on bulk
composition; further information can be found in Wilson (1997). Specimens:
type specimen, 67 g, contact Dr. Richard K. Herd, GSC; main mass
with Mrs. Hildegard Weltner, Toronto.
Vyatka,
location
of main mass
A 32 kg piece of a larger stone was purchased by S.
Vassiliev in Prague. The meteorite was
reportedly found in the Kirov region of Russia and is undoubtedly the missing
main mass of Vyatka, an H4 chondrite (see Meteoritical
Bulletin 77; Wlotzka, 1994). This
material is widely distributed in collections outside of Russia under the name
"Kaigorod," which will now become a synonym for Vyatka. Classification and description of
"Kaigorod" (J. Otto, Frei): an H4/5 chondrite; olivine, Fa17.1; pyroxene, Fs15.5Wo0.9; shock stage,
S3; weathering grade, W1. Comparison of
Vyatka and "Kaigorod" (M. Ivanova and A. Skripnik, Vernad): texture, shock stage, mineral chemistry, and petrologic type all
similar; Vyatka somewhat more weathered.
Specimens: main mass, ~10 kg, Vass; 9.4 g, Frei.
Willow
Grove 38º6'11"S
146º10'52"E
Victoria,
Australia
Found 1995
October
Iron meteorite
(ungrouped)
A 2.7 kg iron meteorite was found in 1995 October by a farmer
plowing a field. Another 9 kg
individual was found the same way in 1998 July. Classification and analysis (W. Birch, Vict; J. Wasson, UCLA): ataxite; contains martensite with 24.5 to
29.0 wt% Ni and a few small schreibersite crystals; etching reveals a
fine-scale platy structure overlain by a pervasive network of stress corrosion
fractures which are in part crystallographically controlled; bulk analysis, Ni
= 27.9 wt%, Co = 1.21 wt%, Ga = 0.23 ppm, As = 0.78 ppm, Ir = 17.4 ppm, Au =
0.233 ppm. Specimens: 400 g, Vict;
main masses with finder.
Zag ~27º20'N 9º20'W
Western Sahara or
Morocco
Fell 1998 August
4 or 5
Ordinary
chondrite (H3-6)
A meteorite fall was witnessed on a mountain in the
vicinity of Zag, Morocco. About 175 kg
have been sold by local people to dealers and collectors under the names Zag,
Sagd, and Tan-Tan. Classification and
mineralogy (A. Bischoff and D. Weber, Mün):
a regolith breccia (pers. comm., R. Wieler, ETH); olivine, Fa1.6–30.0, with peak at Fa19; pyroxene, Fs3.3–26.6 with peak at Fs17; shock stage,
S3; weathering grade, W0/1.
Specimens: 26.6 kg, JNMC; type specimens, ETH and Mün.
Zegdou
~29º45'N 4º30'W
Algeria
Found 1998 August
Ordinary
chondrite (H3)
An 6.7 kg stone was found by Bruno
Fectay and Carine Bidaut while searching for meteorites. Classification and mineralogy (P. Sipiera, Harper): olivine, Fa19.1; pyroxene, Fs16.7Wo1.8; olivine percent mean deviation is 7%
(n = 18); contains dark clasts lacking chondrules. Specimens: type specimen,
150 g, DuPont; main mass, Fectay.
Acknowledgements–This
Bulletin was prepared by the Meteorite Nomenclature Committee of the
Meteoritical Society under the Editorship of J. N. Grossman. Members of the
committee for 1999 are A. Brearley, M. Grady, M. Ivanova, M. Kimura, D. Kring,
J. Koblitz, G. Kurat, T. McCoy (Chair), D. Weber, M. Wadhwa, and B. Zanda.
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T. (1995) Classification and origin of IAB and
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ADDRESSES
OF METEORITE COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCH FACILITIES
AML: American
Meteorite Laboratory, P.O. Box 2098, Denver, CO 80201, USA.
AMNH: American Museum
of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA.
ARN: Mr. Kenneth
Regelman, Astronomical Research Network, 206 Bellwood Ave., Maplewood, MN
55117, USA.
AShaw: Mr.
Allen Shaw, P.O. Box 13166, Edwardsville, KS 66113, USA.
ASU: Center for
Meteorite Studies, Arizona State University, Box 872504, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
Casper: Michael I.
Casper, Meteorites, Inc., Post Office Drawer J, Ithaca, NY 14851, USA.
Cilz: Marlin Cilz,
Montana Meteorite Lab, Box 1063, Malta, MT 59538, USA.
DuPont: James M. DuPont
Meteorite Collection, Planetary Studies Foundation, 612 Chatham Circle,
Algonquin, IL 60102, USA.
ETH: Institut für
Mineralogie und Petrographie, Sonneggstrasse 5, ETH Zentrum, CH-8092 Zürich,
Switzerland.
Farmer: Mr. Mike Farmer,
1001 W. St Mary, Tucson, AZ 85745, USA.
Fectay: Bruno
Fectay and Carine Bidaut, La Memoire de la Terre SARL Rue de la Mairie, 39240
La Boissiere, France.
FMNH: Field
Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
Frei: Institut
für Mineralogie, Universität Freiburg, Albertstrasse 23b, 79104 Freiburg,
Germany.
Gessler: Dr.
Nicholas Gessler, 11152 Lucerne Avenue, Culver City, CA 90230, USA.
GO: Griffith
Observatory, 2800 East Observatory Road, Los Angeles, CA 90027-1255, USA
GSC: National
Meteorite Collection, Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa,
Ontario, K1A 0G1, Canada.
GSI: Geological Survey
of India, 27 J.L. Nehru Road, Calcutta, India.
Harper: Schmitt Meteorite
Research Group, Harper College, 1200 W. Algonquin Rd., Palatine, IL 60067, USA
Heinlein: Dieter Heinlein,
Lilienstrasse 3, 86156 Augsburg, Germany.
IWilson: Mr. Ivan E.
Wilson, 457 RR 0, Portales, NM 88130, USA.
JNMC: JNMC Zürich, P.O.
Box 3953, 8052 Zürich-Birchhof, Switzerland.
JSC: Johnson Space
Center, Houston, TX 77058, USA
Killgore: M. and K.
Killgore, Southwest Meteorite Laboratory, P.O. Box 95, Payson, AZ 85547, USA.
LU: Department
of Geology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1, Canada.
MNA-SI: Museo
Nazionale dell’Antartide, Università di Siena, Via Laterina 8, I-53100 Siena,
Italy.
MNB: Museum
für Naturkunde, Invalidenstrasse 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany
MNHNL: Museu Nacional de
Historia Natural, R. da Escola Politecnica, 158, 1200 Lisbon, Portugal.
MNHNP: Museum National
d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France.
MPI: Max Planck
Institut für Chemie, Mainz, Germany.
Mün: Institut für
Planetologie, Wilhelm-Klemm-Strasse 10, 48149 Münster, Germany.
MUO: Department
of Geology, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, USA.
NHCT: National
Hydrometeorological Committee of Turkmenistan, Azady Str. 81, Ashgabat 744000,
Turkmenistan.
NHM: The Natural
History Museum, London, United Kingdom.
NHMV: Naturhistorisches
Museum, Postfach 417, A-1014 Wien, Austria.
OShaw: Mr. Oza Shaw,
P.O. Box 13213, Edwardsville, KS 66113, USA.
OU: Planetary
Sciences Research Institute, Open University, Milton Keynes, UK.
Reed: Blaine Reed, 907
County Road 207 #17, Durango, CO 81301, USA
Rio: Museu Nacional,
Quinta da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro, CEP 20940-040 Brazil.
Schwade: James
Schwade, 969 South Chicago St., Kankakee, IL 60901, USA.
SI: Dept. of Mineral
Sciences, NHB-119, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution,
Washington, DC 20560, USA.
SWilson: Mr. Skip Wilson,
457 RR 0, Portales, NM 88130, USA.
Turk: Scientific
Research Geological Prospective Institute of State Corporation,
"Turkmengeology", Magtymduly Str. 81, Ashgabat, 744000 Turkmenistan.
UArk: Cosmochemistry
Group, Dept. Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Arkansas,
Fayetteville, AR, 72701, USA.
UAz: Lunar and
Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
UCB: Space Sciences Laboratory, University of
California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450, USA.
ULis: Departamento de
Geologia, FCUL, Universidade de Lisboa, Edificio C-2, Campo Grande 1700,
Lisbon, Portugal.
UND: Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Univ. of
North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA 58202
UNM: Institute of Meteoritics,
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
UPad: Centro
di Studio per la Geodinamica Alpina, Dipartimento di Mineralogia e Petrologia,
Universita di Padova, Corso Garibaldi 37, 35137 Padova, Italy.
UTor: IsoTrace
Laboratory, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario M5S
1A7, Canada.
Vass: Serguei
Vassiliev meteorites, P.O. Box 10, Prague 9, 19921, Czech Republic.
Vernad: Vernadsky
Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences,
Kosygin Str. 19, Moscow 117975, Russia.
Vict: Museum of
Victoria, Melbourne, Australia.