Tongan        24°32’21"N, 110°59’6"E

Guangxi, China

Found: 1996

Classification: Iron meteorite (IAB-MG)

History: A large iron meteorite was found by a farmer in his field in Miaobei village, Zhongshan County, in 1996, and then purchased by Mr. Yongxing Liang, a retired official in Zhongshan county, Guangxi Province, in 2001. The find site is near the boundary with Zhongshan county.

Physical characteristics: This meteorite was not weighed accurately and is estimated to be about 500 kg. It is dark brown in color due to a thin layer of limonite and has an angular shape without any fusion crust. Surface covered with abundant centimeter-sized cavities.

Petrography: (B. Miao, H. Chen, Z. Xia, L. Xie, GUT; Y. Lin, IGGCAS): The meteorite is dominated by kamacite with a bandwidth of 10.5 mm on average. Taenite occurs as thin lamellae 30-100 μm wide. Kamacite (5.59-7.59 wt% Ni; 0.96-1.29 wt% Co) and taenite (17.9-34.0 wt% Ni; 0.33-0.88 wt% Co).

Geochemistry: (K.V. Ponganis, UCSD; B. Spettel, MPI) Bulk composition (by INAA): Fe 91.9%, Ni 6.60%, Co 4330 mg/g, Ga 88.6 μg/g, Ge 301 μg/g, As 11.9 μg/g, Mo 8.20 μg/g, Ir 2.34 μg/g.

Classification: Iron (IAB-MG)

Specimens: 150 g of the sample is on deposit at GUT and 200 g at IGGCAS.