Unequilibrated ordinary chondrite, brecciated (H3-5,br; S3)
Fall, 2 July 1990; 667 g

Three main stones and several smaller fragments were recovered after 3 detonations were heard. The meteorite's brecciated components consist of distinct black and white regions rich in chondrules (up to 2mm, usually smaller), fragments, and fine-grained matrix. White clasts are moderately shocked with nearly equilibrated olivine (Fa18-19) and pyroxenes (Fs16-18), somewhat variable plagioclase (Na9-13), and chondrules. Darker regions are less equilibrated (Fa11-20; Fs5-21; An11-22) with brown glass and more abundant clinopyroxene. The meteorite's classification as an 'H3-5' ordinary chondrite results from its first order character as a mechanical mix of light H5-like material mixed with darker H3-like material. Accessory and minor phases in inclusions include Fe-Ni metal, troilite, unidentified small phosphates, and phyllosilicates in a C-rich clast.

Magombedze is the least massive of 5 witnessed ordinary chondrite falls classified as exactly 'H3-5' as listed with the Meteoritical Bulletin Database (in October 2015). The main mass is with the Geological Survey Department in Harare.

Select Mineral List Type

Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical Elements

Mineral List

4 valid minerals.

Meteorite/Rock Types Recorded

Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!

Select Rock List Type

Alphabetical List Tree Diagram

ⓘ 'H3-5 chondrite meteorite'

Detailed Mineral List:

ⓘ Chromite

Formula: Fe²⁺Cr³⁺₂O₄

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ 'Clinopyroxene Subgroup'

Description: Especially prominent in dark H3 material.

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ Diopside

Formula: CaMgSi₂O₆

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series'

Description: Olivine (Fa19,ave.), typical H chondrite composition.

References:

Wlotzka, F., Editor (1991). Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 71. Meteoritics 26 #3, 255-262. (June 1991).

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ 'Meteoritic Iron'

Description: Two phases are present (presumably kamacite and another more Ni-rich phase [Ni~40 wt%]).

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ Native Iron

Formula: Fe

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ Native Iron var. Kamacite

Formula: (Fe,Ni)

Description: Low-Ni Phase [Ni 6-7.5 wt%]

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ 'Orthopyroxene Subgroup'

Description: Especially prominent in light H5 material.

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ 'Plagioclase'

Formula: (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi₂]O₈

Description: Albitic plagioclase of variable, but almost entirely in the bytownite compositional range.

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

ⓘ 'Pyroxene Group'

Formula: ADSi₂O₆

References:

Wlotzka, F., Editor (1991). Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 71. Meteoritics 26 #3, 255-262. (June 1991).

ⓘ Troilite

Formula: FeS

References:

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

Group 1 - Elements
ⓘ	Native Iron	1.AE.05	Fe
ⓘ	var. Kamacite	1.AE.05	(Fe,Ni)
Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts
ⓘ	Troilite	2.CC.10	FeS
Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides
ⓘ	Chromite	4.BB.05	Fe²⁺Cr³⁺₂O₄
Group 9 - Silicates
ⓘ	Diopside	9.DA.15	CaMgSi₂O₆
Unclassified
ⓘ	'Clinopyroxene Subgroup'	-
ⓘ	'Fayalite-Forsterite Series'	-
ⓘ	'Plagioclase'	-	(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi₂]O₈
ⓘ	'Pyroxene Group'	-	ADSi₂O₆
ⓘ	'Meteoritic Iron'	-
ⓘ	'Orthopyroxene Subgroup'	-

List of minerals for each chemical element

O	Oxygen
O	ⓘ Chromite	Fe²⁺Cr₂³⁺O₄
O	ⓘ Diopside	CaMgSi₂O₆
O	ⓘ Fayalite-Forsterite Series
O	ⓘ Plagioclase	(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi₂]O₈
O	ⓘ Pyroxene Group	ADSi₂O₆
Na	Sodium
Na	ⓘ Plagioclase	(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi₂]O₈
Mg	Magnesium
Mg	ⓘ Diopside	CaMgSi₂O₆
Mg	ⓘ Fayalite-Forsterite Series
Al	Aluminium
Al	ⓘ Plagioclase	(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi₂]O₈
Si	Silicon
Si	ⓘ Diopside	CaMgSi₂O₆
Si	ⓘ Fayalite-Forsterite Series
Si	ⓘ Plagioclase	(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi₂]O₈
Si	ⓘ Pyroxene Group	ADSi₂O₆
S	Sulfur
S	ⓘ Troilite	FeS
Ca	Calcium
Ca	ⓘ Diopside	CaMgSi₂O₆
Ca	ⓘ Plagioclase	(Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi₂]O₈
Cr	Chromium
Cr	ⓘ Chromite	Fe²⁺Cr₂³⁺O₄
Fe	Iron
Fe	ⓘ Chromite	Fe²⁺Cr₂³⁺O₄
Fe	ⓘ Native Iron	Fe
Fe	ⓘ Native Iron var. Kamacite	(Fe,Ni)
Fe	ⓘ Troilite	FeS
Fe	ⓘ Fayalite-Forsterite Series
Ni	Nickel
Ni	ⓘ Native Iron var. Kamacite	(Fe,Ni)

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

AfricaContinent

African PlateTectonic Plate

Zimbabwe CratonCraton

This page contains all mineral locality references listed on mindat.org. This does not claim to be a complete list. If you know of more minerals from this site, please register so you can add to our database. This locality information is for reference purposes only. You should never attempt to visit any sites listed in mindat.org without first ensuring that you have the permission of the land and/or mineral rights holders for access and that you are aware of all safety precautions necessary.

References

(n.d.) Meteoritical Bulletin Database. The International Society for Meteoritics and Planetary Science.

www.lpi.usra.edu (n.d.) http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=15387

Wlotzka, F., Editor (1991). Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 71. Meteoritics 26 #3, 255-262. (June 1991).

MacPherson, G. J., Jarosewich, E. & Lowenstein, P. (1993) Magombedze - A new H-chondrite with light-dark structure: Meteoritics 28(1): 138-142. (March 1993).

(1993)

Grady, Monica (2000) Catalogue of Meteorites (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

Quick NavTop Mineral List Rock Types Other Regions References

Mindat.org® is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Mindat® and mindat.org® are registered trademarks of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2026, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau.
Content on this site may not be used to train, fine-tune, or otherwise develop artificial intelligence or machine learning models without prior written permission - see our Terms & Conditions.
To cite: Ralph, J., Von Bargen, D., Martynov, P., Zhang, J., Que, X., Prabhu, A., Morrison, S. M., Li, W., Chen, W., & Ma, X. (2025). Mindat.org: The open access mineralogy database to accelerate data-intensive geoscience research. American Mineralogist, 110(6), 833–844. doi:10.2138/am-2024-9486.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: September 8, 2026 03:50:21 Page updated: August 11, 2025 08:12:49

Go to top of page

Magombedze meteorite, Gutu District, Masvingo, ZimbabweiRegional Level TypesMagombedze meteoriteMeteorite Fall Location Gutu DistrictDistrict MasvingoProvince ZimbabweCountry function showexplain() { $("#locexplain").toggle(); if (typeof movemap === "function") movemap(); }

Select Mineral List Type

Mineral List

Meteorite/Rock Types Recorded

Select Rock List Type

Detailed Mineral List:

Gallery:

List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification

List of minerals for each chemical element

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References

Magombedze meteorite, Gutu District, Masvingo, Zimbabwe i
Regional Level Types
Magombedze meteorite Meteorite Fall Location
Gutu District District
Masvingo Province
Zimbabwe Country