Angra dos Reis meteorite
| Angra dos Reis | |
|---|---|
| Type | Achondrite |
| Group | Angrite |
| Composition | Fassaite (93%) |
| Country | Brazil |
| Region | Angra dos Reis |
| Coordinates | 22°58′S 44°19′W / 22.967°S 44.317°W |
| Observed fall | Yes |
| Fall date | 20 January 1869 |
| TKW | 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb) |
The Angra dos Reis meteorite is the type specimen of the angrite group. It was observed when it fell to Earth in 1869.[1]
Discovery and naming
The meteorite is named after Angra dos Reis, a municipality of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It fell on 20 January 1869 into the bay where the water was about 2 meters deep. Two fragments were found by a diver the next day.[2]
Museum
The National Museum of Brazil holds the meteorite as part of its meteorite collection. After the museum's 2018 fire, there were concerns that it was lost in the rubble of the museum.[3][4] Some meteorites were found on October 19, 2018, including the Angra dos Reis.[5]
Mineralogy
Although it is the type specimen of the angrites, Angra dos Reis is actually very different from most other angrites. It consists almost entirely of a rare form of pyroxene called fassaite. This makes it more like a pyroxenite than the typical angrite, which is similar to a basalt. The only other meteorite samples that contain fassaite are the calcium-aluminium-rich inclusions found in the Allende meteorite. The reason for this exotic composition is thought to be partial melting of a chondritic precursor under reduction-oxidation (redox) conditions in which meteoric iron is unstable.[6]
References
- ↑ "Angra dos Reis". Meteoritical Society. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ↑ "Angra dos Reis". Meteoritestudies. Archived from the original on 11 May 2006. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
- ↑ "Meteorito de R$ 3 milhões segue perdido nos escombros do Museu Nacional" [Meteorite worth R$3 million remains lost in the rubble of the National Museum]. Galileu (in Portuguese). 25 September 2018. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ Castellar, Guilherme (25 September 2018). "O meteorito que vale R$ 3 milhões e está perdido nos escombros do Museu Nacional" [The meteorite worth R$3 million is lost in the rubble of the National Museum]. BBC News Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 25 September 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ "Meteorito que vale milhões de reais é recuperado dos escombros do Museu Nacional" [Meteorite worth millions of reais recovered from the rubble of the National Museum]. Fantástico (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 September 2018. Archived from the original on 22 October 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2026.
- ↑ "The Angrite Meteorite Mystery" (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-17. Retrieved 2013-01-03.