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Nkayi
Basic information Name: Nkayi
     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: There is no official abbreviation for this meteorite.
Observed fall: Yes, confirmed fall
Year fell: 2009
Country: Zimbabwe
Mass:help 100 kg
Classification
  history:
Meteoritical Bulletin:  MB 104  (2015)  L6
Recommended:  L6    [explanation]

This is 1 of 12583 approved meteorites (plus 8 unapproved names) classified as L6.   [show all]
Search for other: L chondrites, L chondrites (type 4-7), Ordinary chondrites, and Ordinary chondrites (type 4-7)
Comments: Approved 25 Feb 2015
Writeuphelp
Writeup from MB 104:

Nkayi        18°56’S, 28°36’E

Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe

Confirmed fall: 1 Mar 2009

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (L6)

History: An approximately 100 kg meteorite fell at around 5 pm on the 1 March 2009 in the Nkayi District, at the eastern side of Matabeleland North province in Zimbabwe. According to an article in the 19 March 2009 edition of The Zimdiaspora, "The stone ... fell with a thunderous noise in Madlilika Village in the Mjena area of Lukampa..." An ~15 kg chunk was removed and taken by the government for testing. This piece was later acquired by Michael Farmer via a meteorite dealer in Pretoria, South Africa.

Physical characteristics: The description is based on the 15 kg chunk. Surface covered with broad shallow regmaglypts and thick matte black fusion crust. Interior is a uniform light gray.

Petrography: Stone is largely recrystallized with sparse chondrules. Probe section shows three BO chondrules, one to 2.5 mm. Plagioclase, to 100 μm, is abundant. Chromite irregularly shaped, to 500 μm. Scattered Ca-phosphate with up to 5 wt% Cl, relatively abundant, for example a 3 × 3 mm area contains five grains. Kamacite irregularly shaped to 1 mm, with a frosty etch. Rare, weakly developed Neumann bands. Some grains polycrystalline. Troilite exhibits mosaic texture - finely polycrystalline, typically 10 μm (crossed polars), with scattering of fine silicates giving the grains a dusty appearance. Many of the composite metal-sulfide grains show complex finely intergrown mixture of troilite and metal. Some metal grains show zoned tetratenite-taenite-kamacite/plessite textures. Opaque, fine-grained melt pockets adjacent to troilite rare. Native Cu not found.

Geochemistry: (L. Garvie, ASU) Olivine Fa24.5±0.3, FeO/MnO=49.4±3.5, n=12; low Ca pyroxene Fs20.7±0.2Wo1.5±0.3, FeO/MnO=29.5±2.1, Cr2O3 = 0.11±0.04wt%, n=10; high Ca pyroxene Fs8.3Wo44.5, Fs7.4Wo45.5; and feldspar An25.9Or14.2 and An20.8Or8.7.

Classification: Ordinary chondrite, L6, S5, W0.

Specimens: 85 g at ASU; MFarmer ~2 kg, and Boudreaux 8 kg.

Data from:
  MB104
  Table 0
  Line 0:
State/Prov/County:Matabeleland North
Date:1 Mar 2009
Latitude:18°56'S
Longitude:28°36'E
Mass (g):100000
Pieces:1
Class:L6
Shock stage:S5
Weathering grade:W0
Fayalite (mol%):24.5±0.3
Ferrosilite (mol%):20.7±0.2
Wollastonite (mol%):1.5±0.3
Classifier:L. Garvie, ASU
Type spec mass (g):85
Type spec location:ASU
Main mass:Terry Boudreaux
Finder:Mr Judia Sibanda and Mr Mncedisi Ngwenya
Comments:Submitted by L. Garvie
Institutions
   and collections
ASU: Center for Meteorite Studies, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1404, United States; Website (institutional address; updated 14 Jan 2012)
Boudreaux: Terry Boudreaux, Illinois, United States (private address)
MFarmer: Michael Farmer, P.O. Box 86059, Tucson, AZ 85754-6059, United States; Website (private address)
Catalogs:
References: Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 104, MAPS 52, 2284, Octover 2017, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/maps.12930/full
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Photos:
CreditPhotos
Photos uploaded by members of the Encyclopedia of Meteorites.
    (Caution, these are of unknown reliability)
Alan Mazur   
Wojciech Moscinski   
Geography:

Zimbabwe
Coordinates:
     Recommended::   (18° 56'S, 28° 36'E)

Statistics:
     This is the only approved meteorite from Matabeleland North, Zimbabwe
     This is 1 of 4 approved meteorites from Zimbabwe
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