Abai        42°41.11’N, 70°4.35’E

Chimkent, Kazakhstan

Find: 2016 Mar 20

Classification: Iron meteorite (IIAB)

History: Single piece of iron was found by Mr. Skinder at the Altyn-Kazgan hill fort (3rd-7th century CE) during an electromagnetic survey at a depth of 0.4 m, 6 km NW of Abai village on March 20, 2016, in the Turkistan Region, Keless (Saryagash) Dis. The meteorite was situated deep in the cultural layer. The absence of additional specimens in this district may indicate that the sample was brought to the place of its discovery by residents of the first millennium CE.

Physical characteristics: The meteorite of angular flattened shape is 8 × 6.5 × 3 cm in size. The meteorite has regmaglypted surface covered by a shell of the carbonates and iron oxides. Fusion crust is partly preserved. Total weight is 666 g.

Petrography: the meteorite is composed of kamacite grains 2-14 mm in size with thin taenite and schreibersite lamellae and inclusions of rhabdite. The average kamacite band width is 5.85±2.95 mm (n=17).

Geochemistry: Mineral compositions and geochemistry: (N. N. Kononkova, Vernad, EMP) kamacite: Ni =6.11±0.60 (N=13), Co = 0.51±0.07 (N=13), P = 0.14± 0.04 (N=13); taenite: Ni = 24.99±2.68 (N=6) (all in wt%); schreibersite: Ni = 31.0±3.0 (N=5), P = 15.2±0.2 (N=5); rabdite: Ni = 39.4±1.1 (N=3), P = 15.2±0.2 (N=3) (all in wt%); (ICP-AS, I. A. Gromyak, ICP-MS, E. S. Toropchenova, A.V. Zhilkina, Vernad, bulk sample) Ni 6.23 wt %, Co 0.42 wt %, P 0.22 wt %; Au 3.24, Ga 83.7, Ge 186, Cr 19.6, W 0.23, As 14.0 (all in ppm).

Classification: Iron, IIB complex, Ogg

Specimens: A 113.4 g sample, 12.4 g in 5 subsamples and polished section are on deposit at Vernad. Main mass is on deposit at DMUH.