Jezersko        46°22.17’N, 14°32.12’E

Slovenia, Slovenia

Found: 13 Sept 1992

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (H4)

History: An unusual brown stone was found on 13 September 1992 by a mountain hiker Mr. Bozidar Jernej Malovrh while looking for a suitable resting place about 50 m southwest of a mountain hut in the Karavanke mountains, Slovenia. The stony mass was lying on a grassy patch. Because the stone differed in color and weight from the rocks in the vicinity and attracted a magnet, he decided to keep it and stored it at home. After more than 20 years Mr. Malovrh showed the find to his colleague Mr. Davorin Preisinger, who suggested he take it to the SMNH.

Physical characteristics: (M. Jersek, SMNH): The meteorite is an elongated, roughly prism-shaped single piece with square cross-section, original mass of 1380 g and dimensions of 13 × 8 × 7 cm. One side of the meteorite is rounded and smooth, while the opposite side is more rough and contains 0.2 cm deep pits with a diameter between 0.5 and 2.2 cm (regmaglypts). Fusion crust is mostly well preserved. The average thickness of the fusion crust, including the layer with metal-filled veins, is 0.27 mm, while the average thickness of the outer dendritic precipitate layer is 0.04 mm. In cross-section, the meteorite shows homogeneous distribution of metallic and non-metallic phases, however, two large chondrules up to 5 mm in diameter are visible. A 264.9 g piece was cut from the meteorite and used for chemical analysis, preparation of thin-sections and a polished-section.

Petrography: (M. Miler and M. Gosar, GeoZS; B. Ambrozic and B. Mirtic, NTF): Chondrules (0.11 to 2.51 mm, average 0.73 mm) relatively well defined but commonly severely fragmented and occupy about 68 vol.% of meteorite. Chondrules include POP, PO and barred olivine-pyroxene textures and rare RP and fine-grained pyroxene chondrules. Shock veins filled with oxidized metal. It consists of about 15 vol.% of olivine and pyroxene and large fields of troilite (8 vol.%) with mean size 195 μm, which are commonly associated with mean 250 μm Fe-Ni metal (7 vol.%) and chromite (1.5 vol.%) with mean size 120 μm and also 0.5 vol.% of phosphates represented by large grains of merrilite (243 μm) and chlorapatite (100 μm). Several plagioclase-chromite associations were found in the matrix. Some chromite-rich chondrules with small euhedral chromite crystals in mesostasis (plagioclase) as well as in pyroxene and olivine were also observed. Metallic Cu occurs as small elongated inclusions in taenite at troilite-taenite boundaries. Troilite is also present within chondrules or forms rims around them.

Geochemistry: (B. Ambrozic, NTF; M. Miler, GeoZS; S. Sturm, IJS): Olivine (Fa_19.4±0.4; N = 142), low-Ca pyroxene (Fs_16.7±0.3Wo_1.2±0.3; N = 55), high-Ca pyroxene (Fs_6±1.2Wo_45.8±1.4; N = 30), plagioclase (Ab_83±1.3 An_11±1.3Or_6±1.3; N = 44), kamacite (Ni=6.6±2.3; N = 51), taenite (Ni=30.7±3.4; N = 35), tetrataenite (Ni=50.1±2.4; N = 8) (all in wt%).

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (H4), shock stage (S3), weathering grade (W2). Petrologic type of this meteorite, compositional homogeneity of olivine and pyroxenes are typical for type 5, however, XRD analysis showed that it contains 34% monoclinic low-Ca pyroxenes, which is characteristic of type 4.

Specimens: The main mass and type specimen (73.5 g) are deposited in the SMNH.