Carancas meteorite

Carancas meteorite
27.70g fragment of the Carancas meteorite; the scale cube is 1cm^3.
Type	Chondrite
Class	Ordinary chondrite
Group	H4-5
Country	Peru
Region	Carancas
Coordinates	16°39′52″S 69°02′38″W / 16.66444°S 69.04389°WCoordinates: 16°39′52″S 69°02′38″W / 16.66444°S 69.04389°W
Observed fall	Yes
Fall date	2007-09-15

The Carancas meteorite fell on September 15, 2007, near the village of Carancas in Peru.^[1][2][3][4] The impact created a crater and scorched earth around its location.^[5] A local official said that “boiling water started coming out of the crater, and particles of rock and cinders were found nearby”, as “fetid, noxious” gases spewed from the crater.^[6][7]

After the impact, villagers who had approached the impact site became ill with a wide array of symptoms.^[8][9][10] The ground water in the local area is known to contain arsenic compounds, and the illness is believed to have been caused by arsenic poisoning when residents of the area inhaled the vapor of the boiling arsenic-contaminated water.^[11]

INGEMMET (Instituto Geológico Minero y Metalúrgico) of Peru released in September 2007 an analysis which showed that the fragments from the meteorite had a chondritic texture and a mineral composition of pyroxene (1) 40%, olivine 20%, feldspar 10%, pyroxene (2) 10%; kamacite 15%, troilite 5%, and traces of chromite and native copper.

The official classification of the Carancas meteorite, accepted by the Meteoritical Society^[12] was undertaken by a team of scientists working at the University of Arizona. The meteorite is an ordinary chondrite, an H chondrite breccia, containing clasts of petrologic types 4 to 5. The formal classification is H4-5. The meteoroid had experienced a considerable amount of shock before its ultimate encounter with Earth.^[13]

See also

• Glossary of meteoritics
• Carancas impact event

References

1. Planetario Max Schreier "Meteorito por el Desaguadreo", September 24, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
2. RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service, Budapest, Hungary, "Cosmic Event - South-America", September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
3. Teresa Cespedes, Reuters, "Peruvians get sick from apparent meteorite crater", September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
4. Ed Sutherland, All Headline News, "Experts Confirm Peru Meteorite Site", September 20, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
5. Rory Carroll, The Guardian UK, "Peru meteorite crash 'causes mystery illness'", September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
6. MSNBC, "Villagers fall ill after fireball hits Peru", September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
7. BBC News, "Scores ill in Peru 'meteor crash'", September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
8. Lester Haines, The Register, "Peruvian 'meteorite' strike provokes noxious gas attack", September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
9. Australian Broadcasting Corporation, "Locals fall sick after meteorite lands in Peru", September 18, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
10. Living in Peru, LIP-ir, "Doctors Aid in Rising Number of Illnesses after Meteorite Crash", September 19, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
11. José Orozco, National Geographic News, "Meteor Crash in Peru Caused Mysterious Illness", September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
12. Meteoritical Bulletin: Entry for Carancas
13. Luisa Macedo F. & José Macharé O., INGEMMET, "The Carancas Meteorite Fall, 15 September 2007", September 21, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2007.