Gandom Beryan 008        31°53’15.24"N, 57° 2’28.08"E

Kerman, Iran

Find: 5 Jan 2017

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (H5)

History: The meteorite was found 5 January 2017 by the UrFU meteorite expedition-2017 in Iran (Pastukhovich A.Yu., Larionov M.Yu., Kruglikov N.A., Zamyatin D.A.) in the northern sandy part of the Lut desert. The smaller pieces were collected up to 20 m away from the larger stones.

Physical characteristics: All fragments of the meteorite have angular to roughly rounded shape. The surface and interior of the meteorite is light to dark brown in color due to abundant Fe-hydroxides. Some parts have glassy-like surface due to desert weathering. No fusion crust was observed. Abundant cracks (1-2 mm in thickness) are common of large meteorite fragments. Some are totally filled with either sandy minerals (quartz, K-feldspar, muscovite, albite, fluorapatite), which are cemented by calcite or anhydrite, or Fe-hydroxides.

Petrography: Classification (V. V. Sharygin, SIGM and UrFU). Petrographic observation of a polished section shows chondrules in a recrystallized matrix. Chondrules are readily delineated and their sizes vary from 200 to 800 µm. They have barred or porphyritic texture, rarely cryptocrystalline, and consist of Ol+Pl, Opx+Pl, Ol+Opx+Cpx+Pl or Opx+Cpx+Pl. Olivine, low-Ca-pyroxene and plagioclase are main minerals in matrix. Plagioclase grains are less than 50 µm. This indicates a petrological type of 5 for the meteorite. Undulatory extinction and irregular fractures in olivine, as well as the absence of opaque shock veins and melt pockets, indicate a shock stage of S2. Relics of fresh FeNi metals (kamacite, taenite, tetrataenite, up to 40 µm) and troilite (up to 200 µm) are very rare due to intensive alteration. Weathering products (goethite, "hydrogoethite", akaganeite, rarely anhydrite) occur as veins and in situ alteration of FeNi-metals and troilite and fill all microfractures in minerals from matrix and chondrules. The replacement of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene by serpentine/chlorite is sometimes fixed in outer zones of grains (weathering grade W3 to W4). Clinopyroxene, chromite, chlorapatite and merrillite (up to 200 μm) occur locally in the matrix. Pyrrhotite and smythite (alteration of troilite?) form grains up to 100 µm. Violarite appears as an alteration product of smythite. In addition, rounded inclusions of SiO₂ phase (quartz?) was found in smythite and goethite.

Geochemistry: EDS-WDS analyses (V. V. Sharygin, SIGM and UrFU). The primary chondrite paragenesis includes olivine Fa_18.42±0.45 (N=41), orthopyroxene Fs_16.31±0.52Wo_1.05±0.19 (N=43), plagioclase Ab_83.43An_9.44Or_7.13 (N=11), Cr-bearing clinopyroxene En_46.9Fs_8.9Wo_44.2 (N=6), chromite, chlorapatite, merrillite and FeNi-metals. Two types of chromite are indicated: Crt_81.0±1.78Spl_13.66±0.39 (N=27, dominant) and Crt_48.97±0.46Spl_47.99±0.84 (N=5, accessory). Chlorapatite sometimes contains F (up to 0.9 wt.%); Cl 5.79±0.19 wt.% (N=13). Merrillite is poor in FeO (0.8-1.6 wt.%). Composition of metals (in wt.%): kamacite (N=4) Fe 94.31±0.88, Ni 4.95±0.88, Co 0.44±0.07; taenite (N=13)  Fe 66.35±2.91, Ni 33.59±3.31, Co 0.16±0.20; tetrataenite (N=6) Fe 48.64±1.75; Ni 50.87±1.97, Co 0.17±0.14. Rare troilite is close to ideal FeS. Composition of other sulfides (in wt.%): pyrrhotite (N=14) Fe 59.09±1.77, Ni 1.30±1.30; Co 0.18±0.21; S 39.43±0.65; smythite (N=13) Fe 36.54±5.65, Ni 21.43±5.34, Co 1.21±0.33, S 40.72±0.34; violarite (N=1)  Fe 20.16, Ni 35.51, Co 1.74; S 42.33. Fe-rich serpentine-group mineral is sometimes rich in NiO (up to 6 wt.%). Goethite and "hydrogoethite" contain 1.2-11.7 wt.% NiO, up to 0.8 wt.% CoO. Akaganeite is rich in NiO (10.4-13.2) and CoO (0.5-0.6 wt.%); Cl 4.3-4.9 wt.%.

Classification: (Victor V. Sharygin, SIGM and UrFU). Ordinary chondrite. H5, S2, W3-4. In chemical composition of olivine and low-Ca pyroxene this meteorite seems to be similar to nearby meteorites: Gandom Beryan 002, 005, 006, and Ravar 001

Specimens: 2635.14 g (5 samples: 1561, 640, 197.35, 202.71, 34.08 g)  UrFU; 38.22 g and a thin section, SIGM; main mass Kerman University, Iran (Mr. Majid Khatami).