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Al Farciya
Basic information Name: Al Farciya
     This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name.
Abbreviation: There is no official abbreviation for this meteorite.
Observed fall: Yes, confirmed fall
Year fell: 2019
Country: Western Sahara
Mass:help 1300 g
Classification
  history:
Meteoritical Bulletin:  MB 109  (2020)  L6
Recommended:  L6    [explanation]

This is 1 of 12727 approved meteorites (plus 11 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 9 May 2020
Writeuphelp
Writeup from MB 109:

Al Farciya        27°01’27.59"N, 9°44’39.59"W

Morocco/Western Sahara

Confirmed fall: 2019 Aug 20

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (L6)

History: (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane, FSAC: A. Bouragaa "Moroccan Association of Meteorites", F.Z. Jadid FSAC) A fireball was seen by many nomads in Al Farciya area on the night of 19-20 August 2019 at 01:15 am (GMT+1). Eyewitnesses from Al Farciya region Ajanid Youssef and Benabbou Ahmed reported a fireball with red color crossing the clouds followed by two sonic booms. Another eyewitness, Salah Tehlaoui, described a red fireball from the Houza district. The reported direction by Azizi El Hassani and Moha Ould Aicha from Zag was north to south. In the morning of the same day, many hunters went to the area where the fall was expected, namely Al Farciya, and first pieces were found in the evening. Collected pieces show a strewnfield of around 8 × 1 km north to south in a good agreement with the testimonies. The area is mostly known by the name Al Farciya, however, some hunters used the name of Khdim Chham for this fall.

Physical characteristics: (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane) Some pieces recovered, mostly complete and covered by fusion crust. The internal part of the meteorite shows brecciation with dark and clear grey zones. We notice some millimetric sulfide grains, metal is thin, some chondrules are detected. Shock veins and a kind of layering are visible in the rock. Some complete pieces show primary and secondary fusion crust black and mat. Magnetic susceptibility (H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane) measured by SM30 is log χ (× 10-9 m3/kg) = 4.94.

Petrography: (C. Agee, UNM) Microprobe examination of a polished mount shows scattered, faint, texturally equilibrated chondrules set in a recrystallized groundmass. Plagioclase grains are ubiquitous with sizes up to 100 microns in diameter. FeNi-metal and troilite observed throughout. Apatite and chromite are ubiquitous minor phases.

Geochemistry: (C. Agee, UNM) Olivine Fa25.3±0.4, Fe/Mn=49±2, n=10; low-Ca pyroxene Fs21.3±0.1Wo1.6±0.2, n=6.

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (L6), S3, W0

Specimens: 20.3 g provided by the "Moroccan Association of Meteorites", 12 g provided by Hamza El Harbi (including microprobe mount at UNM 0.8 g) and 9 g provided by Ali Ben Amro on deposit at FSAC. Vincent Jacques holds 142 g (so far the main mass) and 98 g; 118.8 g, 97.6 g, 50.6 g, 35.8 g, 8.1 g, 4.1 g and 1.6 g on a private collection Casablanca.

Data from:
  MB109
  Table 0
  Line 0:
Origin or pseudonym:Lahmada Lbayda
Date:2019 Aug 20
Latitude:27°01'27.59"N
Longitude:9°44'39.59"W
Mass (g):~1300
Pieces:Many
Class:L6
Shock stage:S3
Weathering grade:W0
Fayalite (mol%):25.3±0.4
Ferrosilite (mol%):21.3±0.1
Wollastonite (mol%):Wo1.6±0.2
Magnetic suscept.:4.94
Classifier:C. Agee, UNM; H.Chennaoui Aoudjehane, FSAC
Type spec mass (g):41.3
Type spec location:FSAC, UNM
Main mass:Vincent Jacques
Finder:Moroccan hunters
Comments:Submitted by H. Chennaoui Aoudjehane
Institutions
   and collections
FSAC: Universite Hassan II Casablanca, Faculte des Sciences Ain Chock, Departement de Géologie, BP 5366 Maârif, Casablanca, Morocco (institutional address; updated 9 Jan 2013)
UNM: Institute of Meteoritics MSC03 2050 University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM 87131-1126 USA, United States; Website (institutional address; updated 12 Feb 2015)
Catalogs:
References: Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, no. 109, in preparation (2020)
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Geography:

Western Sahara
Coordinates:
     Recommended::   (27° 1' 28"N, 9° 44' 40"W)

Statistics:
     This is 1 of 280 approved meteorites from Western Sahara (plus 20 unapproved names)
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