Santa Bárbara meteorite, Sapiranga, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):	29° 11' 60'' South , 51° 52' 0'' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):	-29.2, -51.8666666667

Erratic type:

Meteorite

Name(s) in local language(s):Santa Barbara meteorite, Sapiranga (Leonerhof), Rio Grande do Sul, Sul, Brasil

Ordinary chondrite, brecciated (L4,br;S2)
Fall, 26 September 1873; 400 g

A southerly moving meteorite was seen to fall from a cloudless sky near the Rio Taquari just north of Encantado. After detonations were followed by rapid machine gun-like sounds, a single meteoritic stone was recovered. The meteorite contains distinct chondrules found within a surrounding matrix of usually transparent, granular microcrystalline material with occasional regions of turbid glass. Chondrule textures vary considerably. The meteorite consists primarily of olivine, orthopyroxene, and Fe-Ni metal. Accessory phases include chromite, microcrystalline plagioclase, diopside, and phosphates. Olivine (Fa24.6) and low Ca-pyroxene (Fs20.6) compositions are characteristic of L-chondrites. Clear chondritic textures, the presence of Ca-poor clinopyroxene, very minor amounts of residual glass, and rare—sometimes twinned— plagioclase are suggestive of the L4 petrologic type. Plagioclase textures and variations are quite complex.

The L (relatively low in total iron) chondrites are a large group of ordinary chondrites and represent ~40% of witnessed meteorite falls which have been properly classified. The L4 chondrites are a small subset accounting for < 10% of the group. Santa Barbara is one of 23 meteorite falls classified exactly as an L4 chondrite (tally of June 2016).

Nota Bene: Gomes & Keil (1980) suggest that the date provided above was the most likely of several dates which have been recorded.

Mineral List

7 valid minerals.

References

External Links