Aguada de Varas 001 (AdV 001)        24°52’S, 69°16’W

Antofagasta, Chile

Find: 2007 May 13

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (L5)

History: The meteorite was recovered by Michael Warner while looking for fossils and meteorites in the Atacama Desert. A second trip to this location did not uncover additional meteorites.

Physical characteristics: Physical Characteristics: One complete 630 g stone measuring approx. 5 × 8 × 5 cm with broken surfaces. The exterior is brownish in color with patchy, weathered brown fusion crust. Cut interior is black with a few chondrules outlined with opaques. It exhibits a sheen from numerous iron oxide veins.

Petrography: (D. Hill, UAz) The meteorite is extremely weathered and is cross cut with numerous parallel iron oxide veins. The stone has a density of 3.4 g/cm³ (M. Warner). Chondrules up to 2 mm in diameter are set in a recrystallized groundmass. Most chondrules are porphyritic, especially the largest ones. Smaller barred olivine, radiating pyroxene and granulitic chondrules with diameters from 0.5-1 mm are present. Regions between these chondrules exhibit intrergrown boundaries while still preserving the relict textures of the fragments. Sulfides occur as discontinuous irregular rims up to 100 μm wide on chondrules, individual 100-μm wide irregular grains, and as lacy inclusions up to 1 cm long.

Geochemistry: Mineral Compositions and geochemistry: Olivine, Fa_23.8±0.5 (N=82); low-Ca pyroxene, Fs_20.1±0.7Wo_1.40±1.14 (N=36); Plagioclase Or_1.3Ab_55.1An_43.6 (N=6). Although physical appearance suggests type 6, well-defined chondrule boundaries seen in microprobe BSE and olivine and low-Ca pyroxene histograms indicate type 5.

Classification: D. Hill, UAz; M. Warner. Ordinary chondrite (L5, W3)

Specimens: 594 g, M. Warner; 35.6 g type specimen, UAz.