Orgueil meteorite, Orgueil, Montauban, Tarn-et-Garonne, Occitanie, Francei

Regional Level Types
Orgueil meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Orgueil	Commune
Montauban	Arrondissement
Tarn-et-Garonne	Department
Occitanie	Region
France	Country

Carbonaceous chondrite (CI1)
Fall, 14 May 1864; ~14 kg (preserved)


A very bright fireball was observed over much of western France and parts of northern Spain and exploded nearly 20 km above the surface. Pieces were recovered along a 20 km long, 4 km wide track. A number of the fallen objects were gathered, with twenty stones (~ 14 kg) preserved. Orgueil is the most massive of the 9 known CI (Ivuna-like) Carbonaceous Chondrites. Indeed, the more massive Orgueil is often a more effective CI prototype than the smaller Ivuna (705 g). Orgueil is mostly a very fine-grained phyllosilicate-dominated stone with a plethora of additional intergrown constituents. Hydrously altered minerals (esp. carbonates and sulfides) are ubiquitous, but refractory inclusions, pre-solar grains, exceedingly rare chondrules, and complex organics have also commended attention. CI chondrite composition — apart from H, He and other gases — appears to be the best or nearly the best available approximation to that of the original solar nebula.

Studies of Orgueil and other CIs try to distinguish the effects of aqueous activity on the original CI parent(s) from the effects of terrestrial weathering. In the 150 years since recovery, white sulfate-rich druse has appeared on the surface of Orgueil samples. The alteration of S-containing compounds has proceeded even while samples have been preserved in 'dry' museum drawers. Airborne bacteria have also led to changes in the inventory of Orgueil organics. Nevertheless, complex organic compounds with non-terrestrial isotopic signatures (overabundant deuterium, C-13) as well as highly racemic handedness (D/L >1) still preserve partially decipherable records of very ancient abiotic organic activity. More recently, the discovery of small pre-solar diamonds, spinels, and corundum has also generated much interest. Evidence for an orbit with trans-Jupiter aphelion is an additional indicator that some carbonaceous chondrites may have had a comet-like parent body.

The largest preserved portion of Orgueil (>8 kg) is with the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris. The sesquicentennial review by Gounelle & Zolensky (2014) is a rich trove of information and references for the amateur, the historian, and the avant-garde scientist.

NOTE: This meteorite was the subject of a hoax involving earth based organic materials glued to the stone and investigated as fossils of extraterrestrial origin.

Other Databases

Wikipedia:	https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9t%C3%A9orite_d%27Orgueil
Wikidata ID:	Q3131804

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References