Gao–Guenie meteorite

Gao–Guenie
Type	Chondrite
Class	Ordinary chondrite
Group	H5
Country	Burkina Faso
Region	Sissili and Ziro provinces
Coordinates	11°39′N 2°11′W / 11.650°N 2.183°WCoordinates: 11°39′N 2°11′W / 11.650°N 2.183°W[1]
Observed fall	Yes
Fall date	March 5, 1960
TKW	probably over 1000 kg

Gao–Guenie is a H5 ordinary chondrite meteorite that fell on Burkina Faso, West Africa, on March 5, 1960. The fall was composed of a large number of fragments and it is one of the largest observed meteorite showers in Africa to date.

Name

The meteorites formerly known as Gao and Guenie in 1999 were officially paired and they name fused into the collective name Gao–Guenie.^[1]

History

Gao–Guenie meteorites fell in Burkina Faso on March 5, 1960 at 17:00 (local time). After three separate detonations, several thousands of stones rained down over an area of about 70 square kilometres (27 sq mi). The sound of the fall was heard as far as Ouagadougou, which is 100 kilometres (62 mi) away. Eyewitnesses said that some trees were broken and henhouses destroyed. The largest stones recovered weigh up to 10 kilograms (22 lb).^[2][3]

Composition and classification

Gao–Guenie is classified as H5 ordinary chondrite.

• 

  Surface details of a small oriented fragment

• 

  308 g sample

See also

• Glossary of meteoritics

References

1. Meteoritical Bulletin Database: Gao–Guenie
2. Bourot-Denise, Michèle; Urbain Wenmenga; Mireille Christophe (1998). "The Guenie and Gao chondrites from Burkina Faso: probably a single shower of stones". Meteoritics and Planetary Science 33: A181–A182. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1998.tb01330.x.
3. Monica M. Grady (ed.) (2000). Catalogue of meteorites: with special reference to those represented in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London; Vol. 1 (5th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-521-66303-8.

External links

Media related to Gao-Guenie at Wikimedia Commons