Cali meteorite, Cali (Santiago de Cali), Valle del Cauca Department, Colombiai

Regional Level Types
Cali meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Cali (Santiago de Cali)	City
Valle del Cauca Department	Department
Colombia	Country

Ordinary chondrite, brecciated (H/L4, br; S3; W0)
Fell, 6 July 2007; 478 g

An unusually bright daytime bolide was widely seen during the afternoon over Colombia — most especially over portions of the Cauca Valley. Several fragmentations were seen and heard, even shattering windows in the town of Restrepo. Ten small stones found in the southern part of Cali included seven which had penetrated the roofs of houses. Some stones were collected immediately after the fall with others found during subsequent weeks. A number of the smaller stones were completely covered with fusion crusts. Reconstruction of the meteor trajectory were made, but were sufficient only to reconstruct a pre-impact meteoroidal orbit with an aphelion most probably within the asteroid belt.

Inspections reveal well-defined chondrules with varying textures and a large range of apparent diameters (160-2000 µm). In addition to the olivine- and pyroxene-rich chondrules, small angular silicates with feldspathic rinds, troilite nodules, and a few grains of Fe-Ni metal (mostly kamacite) are found. Olivine (Fa22.5±2) is largely equilibrated, but Ca-poor pyroxene (Fs~16±7)is quite variable. Small grains of copper and chromite-rich veins are present. The meteorite has been classified as an H/L4 meteorite. However, it is — so to speak — barely a petrologic type 4. Turbid glass is present in a few chondrules and polysynthetic twinned low-Ca clinopyroxene grains are observed in some porphyritic (PO, POP) chondrules, but these do not appear to be representative of the overall meteorite. Classification as a member of the H/L geochemical group is a consequence of olivine and kamacite compositions intermediate between those of the H and L groups. Indicators of moderately strong pre-terrestrial shock (level S3) include undulating extinction and planar fractures in olivine grains). While Cali is a witnessed fall, one should presume that weathering level W0 is only to be expected in those stones which were recovered almost immediately after the fall.

The H/L meteorites are a very rare group of ordinary chondrites with characteristics intermediate between those of the well populated H (relatively high in total iron) chondrites and the L (relatively low in total iron) chondrites. Only 4 witnessed falls of H/L chondrites have been recognized by the Meteoritical Society, including the very recent 2015 fall (Famenin). These 4 falls represent less than 0.05% of all witnessed and recovered falls.

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References