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Barratta meteorite, Barratta, Townsend Co., New South Wales, Australiai
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Barratta meteorite | Meteorite Fall Location |
| Barratta | - not defined - |
| Townsend Co. | County |
| New South Wales | State |
| Australia | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
35° 16' 43'' South , 144° 32' 58'' East
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Meteorite Class:
Meteoritical Society Class:
Kรถppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Old Morago | 148 (2016) | 14.4km |
| Deniliquin | 8,024 (2016) | 46.2km |
Ordinary chondrite, black (L4; S4)
Found, 1845; 200 kg, 5 stones.
According to the Australian Museum in Sydney the first fragments of meteorite were first found in 1845. By the early 20th Century, five stones, ranging in mass from 65.8โ14.1 kg, had been recovered. Barratta is an aggregate of chondrules and chondrule fragments which have been darkened by shock. Chondrule types include barred olivine (BO), porphyritic olivine (PO), and radiating pyroxene (PR) varieties. Olivine is quite variable (Fa22-32). Two petrographically distinct populations of chondrules are also present โ prominent spherical chondrules within a glassy dark mesostasis with other poorly defined, irregular chondrules which have been partially integrated with the matrix. Fe-Ni metal and troilite are present only in minor amounts โ usually interstitial to chondrules, but sometimes near chondrule rims. A cosmic ray exposure age of ~ 8.9 Ma has been reported.
Barratta is the most massive L4 chondrite listed at The Meteoritical Bulletin DataBase (as of February 2016). The L group of ordinary chondrites (ordinary chondrites relatively low in total iron) account for roughly 40% of all meteorite falls.
While three stones accounting for most of the mass are at the Australian Museum, 2 stones of slightly smaller total mass are held at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
The co-ordinates provided are for the general location of Barratta. The exact co-ordinates for the meteorite fragments are unknown.
Classification Problematics. The official classification of Barratta has been changed from the Catalogue of Meteorites (2000) L3.8 classification. The Meteoritical Society has, perhaps, relied on further information which suggests that the primary glass reported here is from non-representative portions of the meteorite?
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
11 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 DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| โ Chromite Formula: Fe2+Cr3+2O4 |
| โ 'Clinopyroxene Subgroup' Description: Clinopyroxene โ The dominant pyroxene is Ca-poor and frequently twinned clinopyroxene (Fs~20) [labelled 'clinohypersthene' by Mason & Wiik]. |
| โ 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series' References: |
| โ 'Glass' |
| โ 'Hypersthene' Formula: (Mg,Fe)SiO3 References: |
| โ Ilmenite Formula: Fe2+TiO3 |
| โ Isocubanite Formula: CuFe2S3 |
| โ Magnetite Formula: Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| โ Merrillite Formula: Ca9NaMg(PO4)7 |
| โ Native Copper Formula: Cu |
| โ Native Iron Formula: Fe References: |
| โ Native Iron var. Kamacite Formula: (Fe,Ni) References: |
| โ Native Iron var. Martensite Formula: Fe |
| โ 'Plagioclase' Formula: (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8 |
| โ Schreibersite Formula: (Fe,Ni)3P |
| โ Spinel Formula: MgAl2O4 |
| โ Taenite Formula: (Fe,Ni) References: |
| โ Troilite Formula: FeS References: |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| โ | Native Copper | 1.AA.05 | Cu |
| โ | Native Iron | 1.AE.05 | Fe |
| โ | var. Kamacite | 1.AE.05 | (Fe,Ni) |
| โ | var. Martensite | 1.AE.05 | Fe |
| โ | Taenite | 1.AE.10 | (Fe,Ni) |
| โ | Schreibersite | 1.BD.05 | (Fe,Ni)3P |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| โ | Isocubanite | 2.CB.55b | CuFe2S3 |
| โ | Troilite | 2.CC.10 | FeS |
| Group 4 - Oxides and Hydroxides | |||
| โ | Chromite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Cr3+2O4 |
| โ | Magnetite | 4.BB.05 | Fe2+Fe3+2O4 |
| โ | Spinel | 4.BB.05 | MgAl2O4 |
| โ | Ilmenite | 4.CB.05 | Fe2+TiO3 |
| Group 8 - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates | |||
| โ | Merrillite | 8.AC.45 | Ca9NaMg(PO4)7 |
| Unclassified | |||
| โ | 'Hypersthene' | - | (Mg,Fe)SiO3 |
| โ | 'Clinopyroxene Subgroup' | - | |
| โ | 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series' | - | |
| โ | 'Plagioclase' | - | (Na,Ca)[(Si,Al)AlSi2]O8 |
| โ | 'Glass' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
Australia
- Lachlan OrogenOrogen
- Tabberabbera ZoneZone (Tectonic)
- Murray BasinBasin
Australian PlateTectonic Plate
- Lachlan Fold BeltOrogenic Belt
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References
Prior, G. T. (1923) Catalogue of Meteorites - With Special Reference to those Represented in the Collection of the British Museum (Natural History) (1st ed.) The Trustees of the British Museum, London.
Rubin, Alan E. (1990) Kamacite and olivine in ordinary chondrites: Intergroup and intragroup relationships. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 54 (5) 1217-1232 doi:10.1016/0016-7037(90)90148-e
Barratta meteorite, Barratta, Townsend Co., New South Wales, Australia