2.9" L6 Chondrite Meteorite (324 g) - Hammadah al Hamra 346

The Hammadah al Hamra 346 Meteorite Fall - HaH 346

Hammadah al Hamra 346 (HaH 346) is a likely witnessed meteorite fall that was discovered 95 km southwest of Ash Shuwayrif, Libya. On August 26th, 2018 a large fireball lit up the sky in a sparsely populated region of the Jabal al Gharbi district of Libya. Over the following year about 500 kg of a freshly fallen L6 Chondrite meteorite was collected from the area which lies 95 km SW of Ash Shuwayrif, Libya.

This meteorite exhibits a matte black fusion crust lacking evidence of extensive wind abrasion. Given the lack of weathering these stones likely originated from the witnessed fall in 2018.

This meteorite is often sold under the name Ghadamis, even though the strewn field is over 300 km away from the city of Ghadamis, Libya.

Meteoritical Bulletin Entry: Hammadah al Hamra 346 Meteorite

About Chondrites

Chondrites are stony (non-metallic) meteorites that have not been modified by either melting or differentiation of the parent body. They are formed when various types of dust and small grains in the early Solar System accreted to form primitive asteroids. Some such bodies are captured in the planet’s gravity well and pulled to the surface. They are by far the most common type of meteorite, representing about 86 percent of all meteorites that have fallen to Earth.

Prominent among the components present in chondrites are the enigmatic chondrules, millimeter-sized spherical objects that originated as freely floating, molten or partially molten droplets in space; most chondrules are rich in the silicate minerals olivine and pyroxene. Chondrites also contain particles of various metals such as nickel, iron, and aluminum. These formed at the very beginning of the solar system and aggregated over time: they are the oldest rocks known on Earth!

Chondrites are divided into about fifteen distinct groups on the basis of their mineralogy, bulk chemical composition, and oxygen isotope compositions. The various chondrite groups likely originated on separate asteroids or groups of related asteroids. Each chondrite group has a distinctive mixture of chondrules, refractory inclusions, matrix (dust), characteristic chondrule sizes, and other components. Other ways of classifying chondrites include weathering and shock. The L chondrite group is the most common of these.