Meteorite Mount Tazerzait 0,1g – Niger
Type: stony meteorite / ordinary chondrite L5
Locality: Niger
Weight: 0,1g
Dimensions: 9 x 5 x 2 mm
Year fell: 1991
Total known weight: 110 kg
Surface treatment: raw
Packaging: Transparent plastic box (5,8 x 3,8 x 1,6 cm)
| Category: | Mount Tazerzait |
|---|---|
| By name: | Mount Tazerzait |
| ? Type: | Stony |
| Subspecies: | Chondrite |
| ? Surface treatment: | Natural (raw) |
| Packaging: | In box |
| Specialties: | Observed fall |
Mount Tazerzait Meteorite – L5 Chondrite from Niger
The Mount Tazerzait meteorite is a documented fall of an L5 ordinary chondrite that occurred on 21 August 1991 in the desert region of Tahoua in Niger. The fall was witnessed by a seven-year-old Tuareg who saw the fiery bolide at the base of Tazerzait Mountain and later discovered the single mass of the meteorite weighing about 110 kg in the impact crater area.
Fragments and Examination
Local inhabitants broke the main mass into over fifty fragments (the largest about 30 kg), with a total known recovered mass of 100–110 kg. The meteorites were sent for further study, first to Algeria and then to laboratories in Switzerland and Germany, where Prof. Jürgen Otto and other experts confirmed their classification.
Classification and Mineralogy
Mount Tazerzait is classified as an L5 chondrite, indicating a moderate degree of thermal metamorphism. Its chondrules are dominated by olivine (Fa 24.6) and pyroxene (Fs 20.8 Wo 1.3), with plagioclase (An 10.5 Or 5.9) in the matrix. The surfaces of fragments are covered by a dark fusion crust up to 0.8 mm thick.