Kaprada                     20°20’20.96’’N, 73°13’23.86’’E

Kaprada, Valsad, Gujarat, India

Fall: 28 October 2004 and 16:30 (Indian Standard Time [UT+5 h])

Ordinary chondrite (L5/6)

History: A stone fell in the farm of Kashiram Bhikabhai Diva in Nandgam village of Kaprada Taluka of Valsad district in South Gujarat, India at about 16:30 h. IST on 28th October, 2004. The meteorite was promptly brought to Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad by Manoj Pai, an amateur astronomer of Ahmedabad.

Physical characteristics: The single recovered stone weighed about 1.6 kg. The stone is mostly crusted and has an approximately conical shape, the convex face containing the apex having been smoothened due to ablation whereas the concave base appears rough.

Petrography: (N. Bhandari, S. V. S. Murty, R. R. Mahajan, P. N. Shukla, A. D. Shukla, PRL; M. S. Sisodia, JNVU; G. Parthasarathy, PNGRI; an V. K. Rai; Department of Chemistry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA [UCSD]) The major minerals in the meteorite are olivine, clino- and orthopyroxene, and metal and sulfide. Some glass is also present. The meteorite shows a melt crystallization texture and veins. A variety of chondrule types is present, the commonest being granular olivine and olivine-pyroxene and radiating fine-grained pyroxene. The chondrule margins are diffuse, tending to merge with the granular groundmass, which consists of olivine and pyroxene with minor sub equal amounts of nickel-iron and troilite.

Mineral compositions and geochemistry: The olivine is Fa_23.7 and pyroxene is Wo_39.92En_43.3Fs_16.79. The chemical composition is Fe = 21.5%, Mg = 15.3%, Al = 1.2%, Ni = 1.27%, Ca = 1.33% by weight as determined by X-ray fluorescence.

Classification: The meteorite is an ordinary chondrite, (L 5/6).

Type specimens: The main mass is with Geological Survey of India at Calcutta. Thin sections are available at J. N. V. University, Jodhpur, National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad and Physical Research laboratory, Ahmedabad.