Oldenburg (1930) meteorite, Beverbruch, Garrel, Cloppenburg District, Lower Saxony, Germanyi

Regional Level Types
Oldenburg (1930) meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Beverbruch	Village
Garrel	Municipality
Cloppenburg District	District
Lower Saxony	State
Germany	Country

Ordinary Chondrite (L6)
Fell,10 September 1930; 16.57 kg, 2 stones

A bolide was accompanied by detonations and whirring sounds and two stones were observed to strike the ground nearly 4 km apart. The two fragments — 'Beverbruch' (11.73 kg) and 'Bissel' (4,84 kg) — were retrieved from fresh holes 50 cm and 35 cm deep, respectively. While both pieces were partially covered with a fusion, it was soon discovered that the fresh sides of the two pieces fit together — having broken apart during the very last moments of their atmospheric entry. The larger 'Beverbruch' fragment eventually ended up in private hands, but the smaller piece was stolen in 2012 from an exhibit. Before these events, however, the meteorite had been classified and briefly described on more than one occasion. Examined portions of the meteorite display abundant chondrules, the usual silicates (olivine, pyroxene, and plagioclase), and unusual diversity in its Fe-Ni metal. Metal grains are range from pure kamacite to half kamacite-half taenite. The total iron content (21.5 wt% Fe) and olivine composition (Fa24) mark Oldenburg (1930) as a member the low-Fe group of ordinary chondrites, (i.e., L chondrites).

The initially recovered mass of Oldenburg (1930) is the largest recorded for the 9 witnessed German L chondrite falls. With over 400 recorded falls, the L chondrites represent just under 35% of classified meteorite falls.

What's in a name? 'Oldenburg (1930)' is the proper name for the 1930 meteorite fall as Chladni had reported a possible earlier fall, 'Oldenburg (1368).' The Oldenburg (1930) meteorite was apparently taken to Oldenburg for display and study, but it fell much nearer to Beverbruch. There have been some complaints about the 'Oldenburg' label, but the original recorded name has stuck. 'Beverbruch' is, however, a recognized 'synonym' for Oldenburg (1930) as well as a label for the larger piece.

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