Porangaba meteorite, Porangaba, São Paulo, Brazili

Regional Level Types
Porangaba meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Porangaba	Municipality
São Paulo	State
Brazil	Country

Ordinary chondrite, (L4; S2; W0)
Fall, 9 January 2015; 976 g

In the late afternoon a daylight fireball was observed in São Paolo. Witnesses nearer to the impact site heard detonations and a persistent rumbling. On the date of the fall and the next day two small stones (450 g and 520 g, respectively) were recovered roughly 6 km west of Porangaba. Both masses are semi-prismatic and almost fully covered by fusion crust. Two additional much smaller fragments were recovered later. The meteorite is characterized by distinct, but chemically well-equilibrated chondrules of various types (RP, POP, PP, BO, PO and C). Compositionally, olivine (Fa24), low Ca-pyroxene (Fs20.5), and kamacite (Co 0.94%) are characteristic of the H-chondrite geochemical group. Mineralogically, the meteorite consists primarily of olivine and pyroxene accompanied by Fe-Ni metal (6 vol%) and troilite. Troilite is sometimes associated with both kamacite and plessite. Plagioclase grains, if present, were not visible during an initial inspection. Olivine exhibits weak undulatory extinction consistent with shock stage S2.

The L (relativelylow in total iron) chondrites are a large group of ordinary chondrites and represent ~40% of witnessed and properly classified meteorite falls. The L4 type is a small subset of the L Chondrites [21 witnessed falls had been classified exactly as L4 chondrites by June 2016]. Porangaba itself is the third witnessed Brazilian L4 fall. Previous L4 falls wereSanta Barbara (1873) and Rio Negro (1934).

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References