Qidong (meteorite)

Last updated
Qidong
Type Chondrite
Class Ordinary chondrite
Group L/LL5-an
Composition Fa25.7, [1] Fe21.5, Fe-Ni metal abundance 4.7 wt%
Country China
Region Jiangsu province, Qidong County
Coordinates 32°5′N121°30′E / 32.083°N 121.500°E / 32.083; 121.500 Coordinates: 32°5′N121°30′E / 32.083°N 121.500°E / 32.083; 121.500 [2]
Observed fall Yes
Fall date July 2, 1982, 17:45 hrs. [1]
TKW 1275 g [1]

Qidong is a L/LL5-an chondrite meteorite fallen in 1982 in China. After detonation a single individual specimen was found in the field. Other circumstances of fall and recovery were not reported. [1]

Chondrite class of stony meteorites

Chondrites are stony (non-metallic) meteorites that have not been modified due to melting or differentiation of the parent body. They are formed when various types of dust and small grains that were present in the early solar system accreted to form primitive asteroids. They are the most common type of meteorite that falls to Earth with estimates for the proportion of the total fall that they represent varying between 85.7% and 86.2%. Their study provides important clues for understanding the origin and age of the Solar System, the synthesis of organic compounds, the origin of life and the presence of water on Earth. One of their characteristics is the presence of chondrules, which are round grains formed by distinct minerals, that normally constitute between 20% and 80% of a chondrite by volume.

Meteorite piece of solid matter from outer space that has hit the earth

A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the object enters the atmosphere, various factors such as friction, pressure, and chemical interactions with the atmospheric gases cause it to heat up and radiate that energy. It then becomes a meteor and forms a fireball, also known as a shooting star or falling star; astronomers call the brightest examples "bolides". Meteorites vary greatly in size. For geologists, a bolide is a meteorite large enough to create an impact crater.

China Country in East Asia

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia and the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.404 billion. Covering approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the third- or fourth-largest country by total area. Governed by the Communist Party of China, the state exercises jurisdiction over 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four direct-controlled municipalities, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau.

Contents

Composition and classification

This meteorite is intermediate between L and LL ordinary chondrites, possibly indicating formation on a separate parent body. [3] Its fayalite, ferrosilite place this stone at the extreme higher end of L chondrites, the metal content is typical of LL chondrites and the Co abundance in matrix kamacite (15 mg/g) is at the extreme lower end of LL chondrites.

L chondrite

The L type ordinary chondrites are the second most common group of meteorites, accounting for approximately 35% of all those catalogued, and 40% of the ordinary chondrites. The ordinary chondrites are thought to have originated from three parent asteroids, with the fragments making up the H chondrite, L chondrite and LL chondrite groups respectively.

LL chondrite Group of chondrites with low iron and low metal content

The LL chondrites are a group of stony meteorites, the least abundant group of the ordinary chondrites, accounting for about 10–11% of observed ordinary-chondrite falls and 8–9% of all meteorite falls. The ordinary chondrites are thought to have originated from three parent asteroids, with the fragments making up the H chondrite, L chondrite and LL chondrite groups respectively. The composition of the Chelyabinsk meteor is that of a LL chondrite meteorite. The material makeup of Itokawa, the asteroid visited by the Hayabusa spacecraft which landed on it and brought particles back to Earth also proved to be type LL chondrite.

Fayalite olivine, nesosilicate mineral

Fayalite (Fe2SiO4; commonly abbreviated to Fa), also called iron chrysolite, is the iron-rich end-member of the olivine solid-solution series. In common with all minerals in the olivine group, fayalite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system (space group Pbnm) with cell parameters a 4.82 Å, b 10.48 Å and c 6.09 Å.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 A. L. Graham. Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 65. Meteoritics, vol. 22, page 160
  2. ↑ Meteoritical Bulletin Database: Qidong
  3. ↑ Kallemeyn G. W., Rubin A. E., Wang D., and Wasson J. T. Ordinary chondrites: Bulk compositions, classification, lithophile-element fractionations, and composition-petrographic type relationships. 1989, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 53, 2747–2767.
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Chondrule round grain found in chondrites

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H chondrite

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Ordinary chondrite

The ordinary chondrites are a class of stony chondritic meteorites. They are by far the most numerous group and comprise about 87% of all finds. Hence, they have been dubbed "ordinary". The ordinary chondrites are thought to have originated from three parent asteroids, with the fragments making up the H chondrite, L chondrite and LL chondrite groups respectively.

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Dingle Dell Meteorite

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