Kalaba meteorite, Tanganyika, DR Congoi

Regional Level Types
Kalaba meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Tanganyika	Province
DR Congo	Country

Ordinary chondrite (H4)
Fell, 31 October 1951,17:30 hrs; 950 g

Two pieces were found near Moba, but only one was preserved. A third fragment may have fallen ~15 km away. Mineralogically the meteorite consists primarily of dominant olivine with low-Ca pyroxene along with minor amounts of Fe-Ni metal, troilite, and other silicates. Accessory chromite and ilmenite are also reported. Some unusual silica-bearing chondrules have merited recent attention.

Kalaba's 8.5 Ma cosmic ray exposure (CRE) age is part of a peak in CRE ages for H-group chondrites, suggesting that Kalaba was perhaps involved in a major collision along with other recent H chondrite falls.

The H (relatively high in total iron) chondrites are the second largest group of ordinary chondrite falls and represent nearly 40% of well-classified and witnessed meteorite falls. As of late May 2017 Kalaba was one of the 62 H4 chondrites, a petrologic type representing less than 20 % of the H chondrites. [Ochansk, an 1887 Russian fall, is the most massive witnessed H4 fall.] Kalaba's main mass has been preserved at the Museum Grand Séminaire in Moba with very small fragments elsewhere.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References