Reliegos meteorite, Reliegos, Santas Martas, León, Castile and Leon, Spaini

Regional Level Types
Reliegos meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Reliegos	- not defined -
Santas Martas	Municipality
León	Province
Castile and Leon	Autonomous Community
Spain	Country

Ordinary chondrite (L5; S4)
Fell, 28 December 1947: 17.3 kg, 1 stone

A single meteorite stone was recovered and was soon distributed to several museums. The meteorite is characterized by relatively indistinct chondrules found within a fine-grained and largely recrystallized matrix or mesostasis. Olivine and orthopyroxene are dominant in both chondrules and matrix, but Fe-Ni metal (mostly kamacite), troilite, plagioclase and accessory clinopyroxene are also present. Olivine (Fa~24) and orthopyroxene (Fs~20) composition and Fe-Ni metal abundance (6.1 wt%) indicate an L chondrite composition. Chromite is present as an accessory phase. Indeed chromium appears to be unusually abundant — especially in an unusual plagioclase-and-chromite dominated chondrule.

Reliegos is one of 80 confirmed witnessed meteorite falls classified exactly as an L5 chondrite at The Meteoritical Bulletin Database (as of early January 2016), but is Spain's only witnessed L5 Fall. The L chondrites (low in total iron) are the largest group of ordinary chondrites and represent over 40% of all fully classified meteorite falls. Most of the mass has been held at the Spanish National Science Museum in Madrid, but a recently described 620 g mass is with the Museo Geominero (also in Madrid).

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References