Jordalen        60°52’34.71"N, 6°45’7.38" E

Hordaland, Norway

Find: 2016 Sep 17

Classification: Ordinary chondrite (L6)

History: (M. Bilet, UOslo) The piece of meteorite (62 g) was picked in the mountain area in September 2016 by farmers, who were collecting sheep cattle from pasture. The meteorite clearly stood out from other stones that were laying on moss. It was fully covered with black-reddish fusion crust. In Autumn 2021, finders contacted local geologist Johannes Vik Seljebotn who forwarded it to Morten Bilet and the NHM, UOslo suspecting this was a meteorite.

Physical characteristics: (M. Bilet, A. Krzesinska, UOslo) A specimen 62 g in mass, almost fully fusion crusted, moderately weathered outside. Chondritic texture easily distinguishable inside the specimen. Weathering of metal grains to oxides seen inside.

Petrography: (A. Krzesinska, UOslo) Ordinary chondrite, well equilibrated both texturally and compositionally, without indications of brecciation. Very rare chondrules retained. Plagioclase is crystalline, locally forms grains much larger than 100 µm and skeletal. In places, olivine is poikilitically enclosed in mm-sized orthopyroxene. Moderately shocked (S3), with some planar fracturing of olivine. One melt vein with metal-troilite globules, but without high pressure polymorphs, cuts across the specimen. Accessory minerals include taenite, minor tetrataenite, troilite, chromite, diopside, Cl-apatite and merrillite. Fe-(hydro)oxides as weathering products. Specimen is weathered, metal grains are rimmed by Fe-(hydro)oxides, ~20% of their volume is altered.

Geochemistry: (A. Krzesinska, UOslo) Olivine Fa_25.4±0.3, range Fa_24.7-26.3 (n=20), orthopyroxene Fs_21.5±0.5Wo_1.6±0.3, range Fs_20.9-22.8 (n=13) Large, poikilitic grains of low-Ca pyroxene show minor zoning and have >1wt% CaO in the central parts. Plagioclase with noticeable range of composition An_14.8Or_7.0, range An_11.3-16.8.0Or_4.2-11.4 (n=10). Potassium-rich plagioclase is represented by large, skeletal domains. Kamacite with 6.1 wt% Ni (5.4-7.1, n=10) and 0.84 wt% Co (0.81-0.87).

Classification (A. Krzesinska, UOslo): Ordinary chondrite of L6 type, based on equilibrated texture and composition of olivine, pyroxene as well as kamacite. Poikilitic texture of some parts that contain mm-sized low-Ca pyroxene and K-enriched plagioclase can suggest local transition to L7 type.

Specimens: (H. Friis, M. Bilet, A.Krzesinska, UOslo) One specimen if 62 g was found and donated to the Natural History Museum, Oslo. UOslo holds the main mass and type specimen (45.9 g that has been left after classification). Small (~5 g) slices left with the finders and given to local Jordalen museum. One thin section in UOslo collection.