Morphological and mineralogical classification of several chondrites from Shahabad

Geologists worldwide acknowledge that studying asteroids and meteorites is crucial for understanding planetary properties. Annually, approximately 4-6 tons of extraterritrial materials fall to the Earth. Meteorites include information about the formation of the solar system, its age, the main source of life on Earth and other planets. The flat surface and arid climate make it easier to find meteorites in desert regions. They can survive on the surface for tens of thousands or occasionally several million years after their fall. This is mainly because of the slower weathering of meteoric metallic nickel and iron. Iran is located in southwest Asia, and about half of its surface is covered by deserts. The Lut desert and central desert characterized by extreme temperatures and low annual rainfall of around 2-5 mm, are particularly conducive to maintaining the original physical and chemical properties of meteorites. Following the previous studies, we studied nine meteorites fragments with different dimensions discovered in °20°15'E 47°84'N°82°31'20"E, located in the south of Shahabad in east of Kerman. Preliminary analyses suggest these meteorites are ordinary chondrites, potentially H chondrites, and further research will aid in their comprehensive classification.

Morphological and mineralogical classification of several chondrites from Shahabad Keywords:

Asteroids , Meteorites , Extraterritorial material , Weathering , Ordinary chondrites