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Aguas Zarcas 					Location 10° 23' 29"N, 84° 20' 29"W
Costa Rica  
Fell: 23 April 2019
Classification: Carbonaceous chondrite (CM2)
History: (G.J. Soto; P. Madrigal, O. Lucke, Escuela Centroamericana de Geologia, Universidad de Costa Rica; M. Farmer, Arizona) At 21:07 local time
on 23 April 2019, a meteorite fall was reported in Aguas Zarcas, San Carlos county, Alajuela province, Costa Rica. The fireball traveled WNW to ESE
and was caught on cameras of the National Seismological Network (RSN) at the summit of Poas and Turrialba volcanoes, and from the Volcanological and
Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI). Sightings were reported from Quepos (Central Pacific) in the south and north to La Palmera
in San Carlos. The first piece recovered, 1152 g, crashed through a house at 10°23’29.03"N, 84°20’28.58"W. A dog house was hit by a 280 g piece
at 10°24’9.35"N 84°21’51.26"W.
The BRAMON (Brazilian Meteors Observation Network), UNESP (Sao Paulo State University) and USP (University of Sao Paulo)
teams determined the atmospheric trajectory of the bolide from four security videos and dashcam cameras. The bolide had an entry angle of 73°
relative to the ground, traveling 20.7 km in the 4-s analyzed interval, with an atmospheric velocity of 14 km/s. Analysis shows a projected elliptical
strewn-field with major axis length of 6.3 and minor axis of 3.3 km. Hundreds of stones were recovered within the projected strewn-field.
The bolide orbit was determined, with the follow preliminary elements: semi-major axis 2.7 AU, eccentricity 0.63, inclination 3.09°,
pericenter longitude of 185.3° and ascending node 33.4°. Current total recovered mass is around 27 kg,
of which ~11 kg was collected before rain fell over the fall site.
Physical characteristics: (L. Garvie, ASU) Hundreds of fusion-crusted stones ranging from 0.1 to 1868 g. Stones under ~50 g are typically angular
to blocky and lack regmaglypts. Also found were several plate-like, oriented stones. For example, one oriented plate is 13 cm wide and 1 cm thick.
Many stones are oriented with a domed leading edge and well-developed roll-over lip along the rim of the trailing edge. Larger stones,
especially those near 1 kg, show broad regmaglypts, some well developed. The fusion crust on several of the trailing edge surfaces is iridescent.
Pre-rain material crushed in a few ml of water emits a powerful "Murchison-like" odor, though with a more prominent compost-like scent.

Petrography: (L. Garvie, ASU) The interior of the stones is uniformly dark gray and studded with small light-colored speckles.
Stones are brecciated and dominated by two lithologies: chondrule poor, constituting ~80 areal% of the broken surfaces examined (~2 kg of material),
and chondrule rich. Chondrules constitute ~10 areal% of the chondrule-poor lithology and ~40 areal% in the chondrule-rich lithology.
Some broken surfaces show clasts of the chondrule-rich lithology in the chondrule-poor type. Clasts with lower chondrule to matrix ratio also present;
for example, one 3 g half stone shows <1 areal% chondrules. A probe mount of the dominant chondrule-poor lithology (sample area 1.5 ? 2.2 cm)
shows scattered small chondrules (mean 275 ?m, n=40), with prominent fine-grained rims. Rare chondrules to 2 mm. Fe-Ni metal, which is Cr-bearing,
was only found as rounded grains in one 100-?m type I chondrule. The section contains several Al-rich CAIs to 300 ?m. The matrix is dominated
by two components of roughly equal proportions: anhedral clumps (typically 50 microns) that are Fe and S rich (e.g., 37.5 wt% Fe and 5.8 wt% S,
with microprobe total of 93%), surrounded by fine-grained material poorer in Fe and S (e.g., 12.8 wt% Fe, 13.9 wt% Mg, and 0.5 wt% S,
with microprobe total of 80.0%). Powder XRD from five stones (one chondrule rich) shows patterns dominated by serpentine. In two stones,
the serpentine 001 reflection sits on a broad peak centered at 0.843 nm. Reflections for tochilinite and calcite occur in all patterns.
The intensities of olivine and pyroxene reflections were generally low, but most prominent in the chondrules-rich stone.

Geochemistry: Oxygen isotopes (K. Ziegler, UNM): 7 pre-rain fragments analyzed by laser fluorination gave ?18O= 10.342, 10.807, 11.591, 12.314, 12.249,
12.669, 9.748; ?17O= 2.381, 2.932, 3.360, 3.843, 3.995, 3.959, 2.143; ?17O=-3.080, -2.775, -2.759, -2.659, -2.472, -2.730, -3.004 (linearized, all per mil,
TFL slope=0.528). Microprobe (L. Garvie, ASU): Fa0.4-41.0, n=10.
Classification: Geochemistry and oxygen isotopic data consistent with CM2.
Available samples
Fragment, 1.17 grams, sold
Fragment with crust, 1.21 grams, sold
Fragment, 1.64 grams, sold
Lot of crumbs, 1.87 grams, sold
Fragment with crust, 2.45 grams, sold
Lot of crumbs, 3 grams, $ 300
it is currenly listed click here to go to the eBay auction
Fragment with crust, 3.0 grams, sold
Fragment with crust, 3.45 grams, sold
Lot of crumbs, 4 grams, $ 400 sold
Lot of crumbs, 4 grams, $ 400 sold
Fragment with crust, 5.7 grams, $ 570 sold
Fragment with crust, 5.9 grams, $ 590 sold
Oriented individual, 5.9 grams, sold
Fragment with crust, 8.5 grams, $ 850 sold
Fragment with crust, 15.1 grams, sold
Fragment with crust, 21.9 grams, sold
Fragment with crust, 30.2 grams, $ 3020 sold
Fragment with crust, 38.7 grams, $ 3870 sold
Fragment with crust, 44.6 grams, sold
Fragment with crust, 60.0 grams, $ 6000 sold
Fragment with crust, 64.3 grams, sold
Fragment with crust, 92.5 grams, $ 9250 sold
we can have more samples available and we are ready to assist you with pleasure by email request
Any questions or proposals - please contact us