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CARANCAS Meteorite Fragment 1.33 grams - H4-5 Chondrite Rare Crater Maker

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  • $ 65.00



On Offer: Carancas H4-5 meteorite 1.33 gram specimen from the 2007 impact event in Carancas near the Peruvian Bolivian border.

Description: A 1.33 gram fragment of the Carancas H4-5 meteorite that impacted the Earth on September 15th 2007 in Peru. This fragment was collected by a local villager shortly after the impact.

Additional Information about the impact event: The Carancas meteorite is no ordinary meteorite. Unlike most other meteorites, this meteorite entered the atmosphere faster and at a steeper angle than is typical for most meteorites. This resulted in an actual crater forming and the meteorite impacting the ground while still hot from compressing the Earths atmospheric gasses into a burning plasma. Despite popular misconceptions, 99.9% of all meteorites that hit the Earth lose all of their cosmic velocity through aerial braking (aka drag). They essentially "fall" from the sky reaching only terminal velocity, and landing with minimal force, freezing cold. Stories of craters, burning hot fireballs hitting the ground, noxious vapors, and strange illnesses are almost never actually true. In the case of the Carancas meteorite impact event, all of the above were corroborated and did indeed happen. Please see the Wikipedia entry for the event for more details on this.

I offer a 100% no questions asked 30 day return policy. 
 
SEE OFFICIAL METEORITICAL BULLETIN DATABASE ENTRY BELLOW
Carancas
Basic information
Name: Carancas
     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: There is no official abbreviation for this meteorite.
Observed fall: Yes
Year fell: 2007
Country: Peru
Mass: 342 g
Classification
  history:
Meteoritical Bulletin:   MB 93   (2008)   H4-5
Recommended:   H4-5  

This is 1 of 82 approved meteorites classified as H4-5.
Comments:
Approved 7 Jan 2008
Revised 4 Aug 2008: final writeup; 2008-01-17 fix error in 17O
Writeup
Writeup from MB 93

Carancas                              16°39'52''S, 69°02'38''W

Carancas, Chucuito, Puno, Peru

Fall: 15 September 2007, ~16: 45 UTC

Ordinary chondrite (H4-5)

History: A large fireball was witnessed to impact near the community of Carancas, in the province of Chucuito, region of Puno in the country of Peru. It made a sizable impact crater, ~13.8 m in diameter (INGEMMET) or 11-12 m (L. Jackson, CGS). Local residents and many others have recovered numerous pieces of the impactor from the sides of the crater and the surrounding area. Mike Farmer brought several samples to the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory of the UAz for classification on October 5, 2007. The total mass is currently unknown. A preliminary report was published on the web by F. Luisa Macedo and O. José Macharé of INGIMMET, Peru.

Physical characteristics: Most specimens are without fusion crust and have a gray color with some metal and chondrules visible, although the chondrules are not easily observed. At least one specimen had two different lithologies, the second white in color, indicating it is a breccia. Numerous black shock veins, often on more than one face of a specimen, were observed. At least one large (~2 cm) metal grain was also recovered, with a thin layer of stone attached to it.

Petrography: (H. Connolly, KCCU, UAz; D. Hill, UAz, D. Schrader, UAz, K. Domanik, UAz, and D. Lauretta, UAz). One polished butt and one thin section, of two different samples, were examined. The polished butt contains some relict chondrules with well-defined margins and many textural types present. The thin section shows the rock to have experienced extensive recrystallization of the matrix with few relict chondrules present. Relict chondrules range in size from ~170 µm to 1 mm. Olivine and orthopyroxene were observed with abundant Fe, Ni-metal and Fe-rich sulfide.

Mineral compositions: Olivine (Fa18.4±0.5) and pyroxene (Fs16.1±0.2). Oxygen isotopes: (R. Greenwood, OU; two analyses) δ17O = 3.017, 2.942; δ 18O = 4.519, 4.344; Δ17O = 0.667, 0.683 (all ‰).

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (H4-5); W0, S3.

Type specimens: A total of 22 g, including 5 thin sections, are on deposit at UAz. MFarmer holds 320 g.

Submitted by: Harold C. Connolly Jr., KCCU and UAz.

Data from:
  MB107
  Table 0
  Line 0:
State/Prov/County: Carancas, Chucuito, Puno, Peru
Origin or pseudonym: Village area
Date: 15-Sept-07
Latitude: 16°39'52"S
Longitude: 69°02'38"W
Mass (g): Metric tons?
Pieces: Many
Class: H4-5
Type spec mass (g): 22

ID - CARANCAS20_1.33_14

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