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 Fa_24.5±0.3, FeO/MnO=49.4±3.5, n=12; low Ca pyroxene Fs_20.7±0.2Wo_1.5±0.3, FeO/MnO=29.5±2.1, Cr₂O₃ = 0.11±0.04wt%, n=10; high Ca pyroxene Fs_8.3Wo_44.5, Fs_7.4Wo_45.5; and feldspar An_25.9Or_14.2 and An_20.8Or_8.7.

Classification: Ordinary chondrite, L6, S5, W0.

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