Sample No.: ALHA78126

Location: Allan Hills

Field No.: 383

Weight (gms): 606.9

Meteorite Type: L6 Chondrite

Physical Description:

The NE corner of this sample (~12 x 8 x 5 cm) has been removed. A thin, ~1 mm, black fusion crust that is polygonally fractured in the B surface, and is weathering to a brown in some areas, covers the remainder of the specimen. Some areas of the fusion crust have weathered away, revealing a partially weathered, yellowish-gray matrix material. Some metallic looking particles are apparent on the broken surface. A deep fracture extends along the T and S faces. During processing of the sample, it became apparent that weathering penetrated the sample as much as 0.5 cm. below the fusion crust. The matrix material exposed during processing is greenish-gray, with several veins of what appears to be darker matrix material penetrating it. Small metallic locking particles were also apparent in this friable sample.

Petrographic Description: Brian Mason

Chondrules are sparse and poorly defined, their borders tending to merge with the granular groundmass, which consists largely of olivine and pyroxene with minor subequal amounts of nickel-iron and troilite, plagioclase, and accessory chromite. A moderate amount of brown limonitic staining is present around the nickel-iron grains. Microprobe analyses give the following compositions: olivine, Fa₂₅; pyroxene, Fs₂₁; plagioclase, An₁₀. The meteorite is an L6 chondrite. ALHA78130, 78131 are L6 chondrites similar in all respects to ALHA78126.