Richmond meteorite, Chesterfield Co., Virginia, USAi
| Regional Level Types | |
|---|---|
| Richmond meteorite | Meteorite Fall Location |
| Chesterfield Co. | County |
| Virginia | State |
| USA | Country |
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Latitude & Longitude (WGS84):
37° 28' North , 77° 30' West
Latitude & Longitude (decimal):
Locality type:
Meteorite Class:
Meteoritical Society Class:
KΓΆppen climate type:
Nearest Settlements:
| Place | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Meadowbrook | 18,312 (2017) | 3.1km |
| Bensley | 5,819 (2011) | 5.5km |
| Bellwood | 6,352 (2011) | 7.4km |
| Bon Air | 16,366 (2011) | 8.2km |
| Chesterfield Court House | 3,808 (2006) | 10.0km |
Nearest Clubs:
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
Local clubs are the best way to get access to collecting localities
| Club | Location | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond Gem & Mineral Society | Richmond, Virginia | 10km |
Ref.: Dietrich, R. V. (1990), Minerals of Virginia.
Fall of June 4, 1828. LL5. 1.81kg weight.
Ordinary chondrite (LL5)
Fall, 4 June 1828, 0830 hr; 1.81 kg
After an explosion mistaken for a cannon boom, a rolling rumble was then followed by the fall of a small stone and the creation of ~30 cm deep crater ~200 m away from some workers in a field. A small meteoritic stone was then recovered. The stone, partially covered with a black fusion crust, retained a scent of sulfur for several days after its fall. The light grey chondritic interior is interspersed with soft, bright metallic grains. The composition of the olivine [Fa27.9Β±0.3] and orthopyroxene ['hypersthene'] are characteristic of the LL geochemical group. Dominant olivine and accompanying pyroxene with lesser amounts of troilite and Fe-Ni metal account for most of the meteorite. Apatite has also been reported. Richmond's magnetic susceptibility is somewhat higher than other LL5 chondrites. The presence of mendozite, a Na-bearing, hydrated sulfate, suggests that the observed specimen may have been exposed to excess moisture since its recovery nearly two centuries ago.
A cosmic ray exposure age of 14.5 Ma has been reported. Richmond was the third of the 20 observed 'LL5' meteorite falls now listed at the Meteoritical Bulletin Database [2017].
Select Mineral List Type
Standard Detailed Gallery Strunz Chemical ElementsMineral List
3 valid minerals.
Meteorite/Rock Types Recorded
Note: data is currently VERY limited. Please bear with us while we work towards adding this information!
Select Rock List Type
Alphabetical List Tree DiagramDetailed Mineral List:
| β 'Apatite' Formula: Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) Reference: Shepard, C. U. (1843) On phosphate of lime (apatite), in the Virginia meteoric stone: Am. Jour. Sci., 1st ser., vol. 45, p. 102-103.; Farrington, O.C. (1915) Catalogue of the Meteorites of North America to January 1, 1909. Mem. National Acad. Science, Vol.13, Washington, D.C. 513 pp. |
| β 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series' Description: Olivine Composition Fa27.9Β±0.3, Rubin(1990). Reference: Farrington, O.C. (1915) Catalogue of the Meteorites of North America to January 1, 1909. Mem. National Acad. Science, Vol.13, Washington, D.C. 513 pp.; Graham, A.L., Bevan, A.W.R. & Hutchison, B. (1985) Catalogue of Meteorites (4/e). University of Arizona Press: Tucson.; Rubin, A.E. (1990) Olivine & Kamacite in Ordinary Chondrites: Intergroup and Intragroup relationships. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 54: 1217-1230. (May 1990). |
| β Iron Formula: Fe Reference: Farrington, O.C. (1915) Catalogue of the Meteorites of North America to January 1, 1909. Mem. National Acad. Science, Vol.13, Washington, D.C. 513 pp. |
| β Iron var. Kamacite Formula: (Fe,Ni) Reference: Farrington, O.C. (1915) Catalogue of the Meteorites of North America to January 1, 1909. Mem. National Acad. Science, Vol.13, Washington, D.C. 513 pp.; Rubin, A.E. (1990) Olivine & Kamacite in Ordinary Chondrites: Intergroup and Intragroup relationships. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 54: 1217-1230. (May 1990). |
| β Mendozite Formula: NaAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O Reference: Minerals of Virginia 1990 by R. V. Dietrich |
| β 'Meteoritic Iron' Reference: Farrington, O.C. (1915) Catalogue of the Meteorites of North America to January 1, 1909. Mem. National Acad. Science, Vol.13, Washington, D.C. 513 pp. |
| β 'Orthopyroxene Subgroup' Reference: Graham, A.L., Bevan, A.W.R. & Hutchison, B. (1985) Catalogue of Meteorites (4/e). University of Arizona Press: Tucson. |
| β Troilite Formula: FeS Reference: Minerals of Virginia 1990 by R. V. Dietrich; Farrington, O.C. (1915) Catalogue of the Meteorites of North America to January 1, 1909. Mem. National Acad. Science, Vol.13, Washington, D.C. 513 pp. |
Gallery:
List of minerals arranged by Strunz 10th Edition classification
| Group 1 - Elements | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| β | Iron | 1.AE.05 | Fe |
| β | var. Kamacite | 1.AE.05 | (Fe,Ni) |
| Group 2 - Sulphides and Sulfosalts | |||
| β | Troilite | 2.CC.10 | FeS |
| Group 7 - Sulphates, Chromates, Molybdates and Tungstates | |||
| β | Mendozite | 7.CC.15 | NaAl(SO4)2 Β· 11H2O |
| Unclassified Minerals, Rocks, etc. | |||
| β | 'Apatite' | - | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| β | 'Fayalite-Forsterite Series' | - | |
| β | 'Meteoritic Iron' | - | |
| β | 'Orthopyroxene Subgroup' | - | |
List of minerals for each chemical element
| H | Hydrogen | |
|---|---|---|
| H | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| H | β Mendozite | NaAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O |
| O | Oxygen | |
| O | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| O | β Mendozite | NaAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O |
| F | Fluorine | |
| F | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Na | Sodium | |
| Na | β Mendozite | NaAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O |
| Al | Aluminium | |
| Al | β Mendozite | NaAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O |
| P | Phosphorus | |
| P | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| S | Sulfur | |
| S | β Troilite | FeS |
| S | β Mendozite | NaAl(SO4)2 · 11H2O |
| Cl | Chlorine | |
| Cl | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Ca | Calcium | |
| Ca | β Apatite | Ca5(PO4)3(Cl/F/OH) |
| Fe | Iron | |
| Fe | β Iron var. Kamacite | (Fe,Ni) |
| Fe | β Troilite | FeS |
| Fe | β Iron | Fe |
| Ni | Nickel | |
| Ni | β Iron var. Kamacite | (Fe,Ni) |
References
Sort by
Year (asc) Year (desc) Author (A-Z) Author (Z-A)Cocke, A.J. (1829) Virginia aerolite (Letter): American Journal of Science (1st series)15:195-196.
Shepard, C. U. (1843) On phosphate of lime (apatite), in the Virginia meteoric stone: Am. Jour. Sci., 1st ser., vol. 45, p. 102-103.
Shepard, C. U. (1843) A mineralogical and chemical description of a Virginia aerolite: Am. Jour. Sci., 1st ser., vol. 16, p. 191-203.
Farrington,O.C. (1915) Catalogue of the Meteorites of North America to January 1, 1909. Mem. National Acad. Science, Vol.13, Washington, D.C. 513 pp.
Graham, A.L., Bevan, A.W.R. & Hutchison, B. (1985) Catalogue of Meteorites (4/e). University of Arizona Press: Tucson.
Rubin, A.E. (1990) Olivine & Kamacite in Ordinary Chondrites: Intergroup and Intragroup relationships. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 54: 1217-1230.
Dietrich, R. V. (1990), Minerals of Virginia.
Graf, T. & Marti, K. (1994) Collisional records in LL-chondrites. Meteoritics 29 (5), 643β648. (Sept 1994).
Rochette, P. et al. (2003) Magnetic classification of stony meteorites: 1. Ordinary chondrites: Meteoritics & Planetary Science 38(2): 251β268. (February 2003).
External Links
http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=22603 -Richmond@MetBullDatabase
http://www.meteoritehistory.info/AJS/S1VIEWS/V15P196.HTM -Fall of the Richmond meteorite
https://www.dmme.virginia.gov/commercedocs/VAMIN_VOL20_NO03.PDF βVirginia Meteorites
http://www.meteoritehistory.info/AJS/S1VIEWS/V15P196.HTM -Fall of the Richmond meteorite
https://www.dmme.virginia.gov/commercedocs/VAMIN_VOL20_NO03.PDF βVirginia Meteorites
Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality
North America PlateTectonic Plate
- Carolinia DomainDomain
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