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Chergach
Basic information Name: Chergach
     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: There is no official abbreviation for this meteorite.
Observed fall: Yes
Year fell: 2007
Country: Mali
Mass:help 100 kg
Classification
  history:
Meteoritical Bulletin:  MB 94  (2008)  H5
Recommended:  H5    [explanation]

This is 1 of 11487 approved meteorites (plus 22 unapproved names) classified as H5.   [show all]
Search for other: H chondrites, H chondrites (type 4-7), Ordinary chondrites, and Ordinary chondrites (type 4-7)
Comments: Approved 4 May 2008
Writeuphelp
Writeup from MB 94:

Chergach                   23° 4147’’N, 5° 0053W

SW El Mokhtar, Erg Chech, Timbuktu district, Mali

Fall: 2 or 3 July 2007, daytime

Ordinary chondrite (H5)

History: In fall and winter, 2007 ~100 kg of meteorites were collected in the Erg Chech, north of Taoudenni. Nomads reported the stones fell after a smoke cloud was seen and several detonations were heard over a wide area during daytime in July 2007. The finder of the first meteorites was Mr Ouled Bleila, who died in a car accident on his way back from the trip to the Chergach strewn field in October 2007. According to the Tuareg people from Algeria who visited the fall site in September 2007, the elliptical strewn field stretches for more than 20 km in a northeasterly direction. No fireball was reported.

Physical characteristics: A large number of fusion-crusted stones have been recovered, the largest ones are 17.8 and 13.9 kg, the smallest ones about 1.5 g. Total known weight ~100 kg.

Petrography: (E. Gnos, MHNGE; B. Hofmann, NMBE, M. Eggimann, UBE/NMBE) Mean chondrule size is 0.38 mm (n = 61). Mean size of plagioclase grains is ~20 μm. Troilite is polycrystalline, rich in silicate inclusions, and shows diffuse boundaries to metal. Some metal is rich in silicate- and troilite inclusions. No Cu metal observed. Shock stage is S3, some shock veins are visible, no weathering (W0). In addition to this dominant lithology, a significant number of stones consist of chondritic clasts (H5 S3-4 W0, identical to the homogeneous lithology) set in a fine-grained, black, silicate impact melt matrix with abundant droplets of metal and metal-troilite. Shock stage of small clasts is up to S4.

Mineral compositions and geochemistry: Olivine Fa18.2 (chondrite fragments in impact melt are Fa18.4), pyroxene Fs15.5 Wo1.2 (fragments in impact melt are Fs16.0, Wo1.4).

Cosmogenic radionuclides: (Patrick Weber, Particle Physics Group, Institute of Physics, University of Neuchâtel) Gamma-spectroscopy performed in November, 2007 showed the presence of the following short-lived radionuclides: 46Sc, 56Co, 54Mn, 58Co, 7Be, 57Co, 22Na, 60Co, 26Al. Recalculated to July, 2007, 22Na was 44.0 ± 1.1 dpm/kg and 26Al 20.8 ± 0.8 dpm/kg. The 22Na/26Al activity ratio of 2.1 is consistent with a fall in July, 2007 and demonstrates that this material is not identical with Bassikounou.

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (H5), some stones suggest an H impact melt breccia. S3, W0.

Type specimens and distribution: 115 g at NMBE; 17.8 kg P. Hermann, Canada; 13.9 kg D. Gheesling, USA; 4.9 kg S. Buhl, Germany.

 

Data from:
  MB94
  Table 1
  Line 3:
State/Prov/County:Timbouctou district, Mali
Date:2-Jul-07
Latitude:23°41'47"N
Longitude:5°00'53'W
Mass (g):100000
Pieces:Many
Class:H5
Shock stage:S3
Weathering grade:W0
Fayalite (mol%):18.2
Ferrosilite (mol%):15.5
Wollastonite (mol%):1.4
Classifier:
Type spec mass (g):115
Type spec location:NMBE, E. Gnos, MHNGE; B. Hofmann, NMBE, M. Eggimann, UBE/NMBE
Main mass:Dgheesling
Institutions
   and collections
NMBE: Natural History Museum Bern Bernastrasse 15 CH-3005 Bern Switzerland, Switzerland; Website (institutional address; updated 2 Mar 2012)
MHNGE: Muséum d’histoire naturelle, Route de Malagnou 1, CH-1211 Genève 6 , Switzerland (institutional address; updated 27 Oct 2011)
UBE: University of Bern, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland (institutional address)
Catalogs:
References: Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 94, MAPS 43, 1551-1588 (2008)
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Photos:
CreditPhotos
Photos from the Encyclopedia of Meteorites:
Peter Marmet      
Photos uploaded by members of the Encyclopedia of Meteorites.
    (Caution, these are of unknown reliability)
ADAA Association   
Alan Mazur   
André Knöfel      
Anthony James         
Auricular                  
Dave Gheesling   
Dave Johnson   
David Hardy   
David L. Ribeca      
DCOM   
Denis gourgues         
Dirk Hohmann      
Don Cuarzo   
Gregor H.               
Hayssam Elbaba   
ironee   
Jim K   
John Lutzon   
John Tanner   
José Carlos de Medeiros Júnior   
Marcelo Adorna Fernandes   
MeteoriteCollector.org - FCOM - Russ Finney         
METEORITICON   
Michael S. Scherman      
Paulo Anselmo Matioli (JN Science Museum)   
Ryan Upchurch   
Stelvino   
Svend Buhl      
The Wilcox Collection of Meteorites   
Volker Heinrich            
Wojciech Moscinski   
Woreczko Jan & Wadi                                             
Geography:

Mali
Coordinates:
     Recommended::   (23° 41' 47"N, 5° 0' 53"W)

Statistics:
     This is 1 of 6 approved meteorites from Tombouctou, Mali
     This is 1 of 111 approved meteorites from Mali (plus 2 unapproved names)
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