Leeuwfontein meteorite, City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Gauteng, South Africai

Regional Level Types
Leeuwfontein meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality	Municipality
Gauteng	Province
South Africa	Country

Ordinary chondrite (L6)
Fell, 21 June 1912, 14 hrs; 460 g

After detonations a single stone was seen to fall. Scattered and usually indistinct chondrules up to 3 mm in diameter are found within a pale grey matrix. Fe-Ni grains up to 4 mm in diameter and a few barred olivine (BO) chondrules are also present upon closer inspection. Compositionally, olivine (Fa24) and low Ca-orthopyroxene ('hypersthene') are characteristic of the L-chondrite geochemical group. Mineralogically the meteorite consists primarily of dominant olivine and pyroxene along with minor troilite and Fe-Ni metal. Accessory chromite and ilmenite have also been reported. Preterrestrial shock has converted some plagioclase into maskelynite.

Argon (K-Ar) and helium (Pb,Th-He) ages of 638 Ma and 650 Ma, respectively, suggest a major collision involving the intermediate parent body (IPB) of the Leeuwfontein meteoroid during the past eon. A cosmic ray exposure (CRE) age of t= ~19 Ma reflects the immediate environment of the subsequent smaller impacting meteoroid before earth-encounter.

The L-group of ordinary chondrites (relatively low in total iron) are the largest group of classified witnessed meteorite falls and account for ~45% of all well-classified meteorite falls. The L6 petrologic type accounts for ~ 70% of the L-group. A total of 272 meteorite falls have now been classified exactly as 'L6' chondrites [June 2017].

The main mass has been kept at the Geological Survey Museum in Pretoria.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References