Ozerki Location 52° 48.084′ N, 38° 10.268′ E
Lipetskaya oblast , Russia
Fell June 21, 2018
Ordinary chondrite (L6)
History: The first meteorite fragments were recovered based on analysis of the fireball observed over the Lipetskaya oblast
in Russia on June 21, 2018, at 01:16:20 UT. The fireball was widely observed from many places in Russia, including Moscow.
The scientists from UrFU, UHelsinki, and the Finnish Fireball Network formed a consortium enabling quick prediction and
the actual discovery of the meteorite. Collection of the observational data and trajectory analysis were done by
Esko Lyytinen, Maria Gritsevich, Nikolai Kruglikov, and Mikhail Larionov. The derived parameters,
characterizing the trajectory were clearly indicative of a number of meteorite fragments landing on the ground.
Using these results, a comprehensive model of the strewn field providing the expected locations of fragments
was done by Jarmo Moilanen. The area of the meteorite shower was predicted to be on the line Ozerki Zlobino - Druzhba,
Stanovlyansky district, northwest of Yelets town, Lipetskaya oblast . The modeling assumed about 100 meteorites
(excepting the main body) with total mass ~7 kg. With the support of these data, a meteorite recovery campaign was initiated
by Victor I. Grokhovsky. Five samples of the meteorite (1176 g) were recovered during the UrFU meteorite expedition-2018
(23-27 June 2018; Pastukhovich A.Yu., Yakovlev G.A., Petrova E.V. and volunteer Usenkov A.V.) in the Lipetskaya oblast .
The first sample was found 25 June 2018 by G.A. Yakovlev (59.85 g). The UrFU finds were near Ozerki village.
During the next few weeks, more meteorite samples (>5500 g) were recovered by institutional groups
(Vernad - GEOKHI RAS, IA RAS, IDG RAS) and private collectors in the area Ozerki Zlobino.
The total mass and number of stones may increase due to additional finds.
Physical characteristics: The meteorites have roughly rounded shapes, covered by dark fusion crust; the interior is
light colored and contains visible opaque shock veins. The samples are fresh, but halos of Fe-hydroxides were already
present around metal grains. Some samples contain impact melt.
Petrography: (V.V. Sharygin, SIGM and UrFU, and D.A. Zamyatin, RAS-UB and UrFU): Petrographic observation of a
polished section shows very rare chondrules in a coarse recrystallized matrix. Most chondrules are very poorly defined
and their apparent sizes vary from 200 m to 1 mm. Only the largest chondrules (up to 4 mm) are clearly delineated.
The PO, POP and BO chondrules are most common and mainly consist of olivine, plagioclase, low-Ca pyroxene chromite
and blebs of troilite and FeNi-metal. Other textural types of chondrules were not observed. Olivine, low-Ca-pyroxene,
plagioclase, FeNi-metal and troilite are the main minerals in the matrix. Clinopyroxene, chromite, chlorapatite
and merrillite (100-300 m) occur locally in the matrix. Plagioclase grains are larger than 50-100 m.
Shock features include undulatory extinction, irregular and planar fractures (three directions) in olivine
and the presence of opaque shock veins. The presence of impact melt suggests shock stage S5.
Grains of FeNi metal (up to 1 mm) are represented by both individual phases (kamacite, taenite or plessite)
and their intergrowths (kamacite + taenite, kamacite + plessite + tetrataenite, kamacite + tetrataenite + pentlandite)
troilite. Grains of troilite (100-500 m) are spongy, fine-grained aggregates of micrometer-sized individuals (<5 m).
Some pentlandite grains occur in such aggregates, especially on contacts with FeNi-metal. Opaque shock veins
(up to 100 m in thick) are not very abundant and contain metal-sulfide intergrowths in fine-grained low-Ca pyroxene matrix.
The thickness of fusion crust is up to 600 m. It is highly vesicular and zoned in texture:
the outmost zone is a cryptocrystalline aggregate of skeletal crystals of zoned olivine and magnetite (up to 5 m)
and glass (44-47 wt.% SiO2); the inner zone is represented by larger skeletal crystals of newly formed
olivine + glass + minor magnetite. Both zones contain rounded relics of initial olivine and chromite and newly
formed Ni-rich metal-sulfide globules (10-20 m). Magnetic susceptibility log ? (? 10-9 m3/kg) = 4.8 (analyst Yakovlev G.A.).
Geochemistry: SEM-EDS-WDS (V. V. Sharygin, SIGM and UrFU) and EMPA-WDS (D.A. Zamyatin, RAS-UB and UrFU).
Olivine Fa25.6 0.3 (N=51), low-Ca pyroxene Fs21.4 0.2Wo1.6 0.3 (N=44), plagioclase Ab83.5An10.5Or6.0 (N=35),
Cr-bearing clinopyroxene En45.8Fs9.0Wo45.2 (Cr2O3 0.8-1.0 wt.%, N=6), chromite Crt82.8Spl12.1 (N=17),
chlorapatite, merrillite, FeNi-metals, troilite and pentlandite. Chlorapatite contains F (up to 0.5 wt.%);
Cl 5.5, Na2O 0.5 wt.% (N=11). Merrillite is poor in FeO (0.3-0.7 wt.%, N=8). Composition of metal (in wt.%):
kamacite (N=32) Fe 93.2 1.4, Ni 5.89 1.44, Co 0.92 0.13; taenite (N=20) Fe 68.6 5.1, Ni 31.0 5.1, Co 0.36 0.09;
tetrataenite (N=3) Fe 48.5, Ni 51.2, Co 0.16.
Composition of sulfides (in wt.%): pentlandite (N=10, in association with troilite) Fe 50.6 0.8, Ni 15.4 1.0, Co 0.15 0.02,
Cu 0.61 0.26, S 33.6 0.3; heazlewoodite (N=10, from fusion crust) Fe 2.62 0.46, Ni 71.4 0.8, Co 0.11 0.01, Cu 0.37 0.09, S 25.6 0.5.
Classification: Ordinary chondrite. L6, S5, W0. |