Quesa meteorite, Quesa, Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain

Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	39° 8' 18'' North , 0° 45' 14'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	39.138287, -0.753816
Name(s) in local language(s):	, Quesa, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana, España
Other/historical region names associated with this locality:	La Budilla

Iron meteorite, Octahedrite (IAB-ung, Om)
Fall, 1 Aug 1898; 10.67 kg


After seeing a trail of white smoke and hearing thunder-like detonations in a clear blue sky, a single, somewhat pitted iron mass was recovered from a small 40 cm deep crater. A thorough examination of this octahedrite (~11% Ni) by Berwerth (1905) revealed that kamacite, taenite, plessite and minor schreibersite were quite evident. In studying the surface pits — usually due to the melting of troilite or troilite-graphite nodules during the fiery entry of iron meteorites into the earth's atmosphere — Berwerth introduced the term regmaglypt into the meteoritical literature. He also observed graphitic and sulfidic veins and regions which he could not definitively characterize mineralogically. Unfortunately, when the master observer Buchwald examined Quesa six decades later only a very small portion was available for his study with more modern techniques. Thus, the mineral inventory presented here for this interesting meteorite is seriously incomplete.

Classification: Approximately 25% of all iron meteorite falls belong to the 'IAB complex'. 47 of them have been classified as 'IAB-ungrouped' as their properties do not quite match any of the several well defined IAB subgroups. Quesa is one of 3 such oddballs which are witnessed falls.

The main mass at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Wiens (aka, Vienna).

Mineral List

3 valid minerals.

References

External Links