Santa Apolonia meteorite (Nativitas meteorite; Tlaxcala meteorite), Nativitas, Nativitas, Tlaxcala, Mexicoi

Regional Level Types
Santa Apolonia meteorite (Nativitas meteorite; Tlaxcala meteorite)	Meteorite Fall Location
Nativitas	City
Nativitas	Municipality
Tlaxcala	State
Mexico	Country

A very large 1,050 kg mass was found in 1872, already very weathered, with no fusion crust, near the community of Nativitas, 15 km SW of Tlaxcala. While portions of the meteorite appear to almost pure weatherates ['limonite'] preferentially forming along kamacite boundaries, intact portions of the meteorite have sheltered schreibersite precipitates and troilite nodules. Ribbons of surviving taenite are somewhat Ni-rich and may harbor residual tetrataenite as well. Cosmic ray exposure (CRE) ages of ~700 and ~800 Ma are quoted in the literature suggesting an unusual long residence in space as a minor meteoroid before the, humanly speaking, very extended period lying near the surface of the earth.

While the original name was Santa Apolonia meteorite, decades later Nininger used the names Nativitas meteorite and Tlaxcala meteorite.

Medium octahedrite, bandwidth 0.95 +/- 0.1mm.
7.54% Ni, 0.50% Co, 0.12% P, 5ppm Ga, 35.8ppm Ge, 8.3ppm PGE.

Santa Apolonia is the 10th most massive of 306 IIIAB iron meteorites currently listed with the Meteoritical Bulletin Database (September 2015). Twenty-two of the IIIAB irons have been found in Mexico including the 24 ton Chupaderos and the 10 ton Morito irons. Those 2 irons, however, have been somewhat more tractable for study. The main mass remains with the Instituto Geológico, Mexico City.

References

External Links

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality