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| Lorton | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Basic information | Name: Lorton This is an OFFICIAL meteorite name. Abbreviation: There is no official abbreviation for this meteorite. Observed fall: Yes Year fell: 2010 Country: United States Mass:  330 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classification history: |
This is 1 of 12331 approved meteorites (plus 8 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 30 Nov 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writeup |
Writeup from MB 99:
Lorton 38.70066°N, 77.21163°W Virginia, United States Fell: 18 Jan 2010, 5:45 PM EST (UT-5) Classification: Ordinary chondrite (L6) History: People in the greater Washington DC area (with reports from as far away as West Virginia) describe seeing a large, single, fireball near dusk on Monday, January 18th, 2010 (~5:45 PM). Some describe hearing a large detonation. At 5:45, one stone fell through the roof and ceiling of the Williamsburg Square Family Practice in Lorton, Virginia. The meteorite was found embedded in the concrete floor (under the carpet), apparently having broken into three large pieces and a number of smaller pieces upon impact. The doctors were present at the time the meteorite fell, and describe hearing a sound akin to bookshelves crashing to the ground. The meteorite was brought to the Smithsonian Institution for identification. Physical characteristics: The meteorite is approximately 8 x 5 x 5 cm, roughly rectangular, with dark, matte fusion crust. The interior is fresh, with no evidence of oxidation of the metal grains, which are small and evenly distributed throughout the rock. A few small poorly defined chondrules are visible with the naked eye. The total mass recovered is 329.7 g. Petrography: Shock stage: S1 (olivines have irregular fractures). Weathering grade: W0. Shock veins absent. Chondrules are rare. When present, chondrule outlines are diffuse and show some degree of recrystallization, with many crystals exhibiting 120° triple junctions. Metal and sulfide occur mostly as separate, blocky grains. Geochemistry: (C. Corrigan, SI) Olivine, Fa24.7±0.3 (n=23), pyroxene Fs20.9±0.3, Wo1.6±0.2 (n=16), feldspar An10.3±0.3, Or6.4±2.8 (n=14) Classification: L6 chondrite Specimens: Entire mass is at SI. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Data from: MB99 Table 0 Line 0: |
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| Institutions and collections |
SI: Department of Mineral Sciences, NHB-119, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, United States; Website (institutional address; updated 16 Jan 2012) |
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| References: | Published in Meteoritical Bulletin, No. 99, April 2012, MAPS 47, E1-E52 (2012) [published online only]
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Geography:
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Statistics: This is 1 of 13 approved meteorites from Virginia, United States (plus 1 impact crater) This is 1 of 1894 approved meteorites from United States (plus 890 unapproved names) (plus 28 impact craters) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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