Oued El Kechbi is a chondrite L4 meteorite that fell in Morocco near the town of Akhfennir on March 3, 2023.
On March 3, 2023 at 14:00 GMT, nomadic sheep herders named Derija Bent Yahya, Abo bakr Aabidha, Brika weld Himdah and Elkhadir observed a fireball moving with a SE to NW trajectory falling in the desert region ~45km southwest of Akhfennir, Morocco.
When the meteor entered the atmosphere, the fireball was a yellowish-white color, accompanied by a sonic boom that scattered the farmer’s herd.
The meteorites discovered lie in a valley containing desert cobblestones separated by an abundance of small seasonal ponds.
The first samples were found in the mud, where the surface was wet from recent snow.
As the seasonal ponds dried, more samples were found.
The Moroccan Association of Meteorite Hunters recovered 20 samples weighing a total of 1942g. further
further discoveries have been made, bringing the total known weight to ~4764g. Coordinates and weights of discoveries
indicate that the distribution ellipse is 4.3 km long, confirming the SE to NW trajectory.
43 stones weighing 1036g were sold to Jean Redelsperger.
Physical characteristics: many stones are completely covered by a black molten crust. Some are oriented
and larger stones have regmaglyptes and slickenside surfaces. The fragments
found in the mud show oxidation stains on crusted surfaces and exposed interiors. The broken face
shows that the interior is composed of light-gray chondrules, FeNi and troilite grains.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
The stone was found in the flat steppes of the Kharabalinsky district, in the Astrakhan region of Russia. It had been known to the local population as a strange, visible magnetic stone for at least 10 years. Mr. Kotelevskyi took a sample of the stone in the summer of 2011 and sent it to Vernad in October 2012. Later, numerous small fragments of the meteorite were found around the main mass.
Zagora 012 is a rare brecciated LL7-type meteorite weighing 197g. It was discovered in Morocco in 2022 by Lahcen Hassou in the Ksar Ait Gazou area.
The special feature of this meteorite is its dark clasts measuring up to 7X4 mm.
Writeup from MB 112:
Zagora 012 30°02’49.2″N, 5°28’55.3″W
South, Morocco
Purchased: 2022
Classification: Ordinary chondrite (LL7)
History: Found by Lahcen Hassou in the Ksar Ait Gazou area in Morocco. Bought by Jean Redelsperger from Mohamed Elguirah in 2022.
Physical characteristics: Brown partially crusted stone.
Petrography: (J.Gattacceca, CEREGE) Brecciated recrystallized chondrite, with mm-sized clasts (to 4 mm) set in a clastic matrix. Abundant triple junctions. Opaque minerals are metal and troilite.
Zagora 012 is a rare brecciated LL7-type meteorite weighing 197g. It was discovered in Morocco in 2022 by Lahcen Hassou in the Ksar Ait Gazou area.
The special feature of this meteorite is its dark clasts measuring up to 7X4 mm.
Writeup from MB 112:
Zagora 012 30°02’49.2″N, 5°28’55.3″W
South, Morocco
Purchased: 2022
Classification: Ordinary chondrite (LL7)
History: Found by Lahcen Hassou in the Ksar Ait Gazou area in Morocco. Bought by Jean Redelsperger from Mohamed Elguirah in 2022.
Physical characteristics: Brown partially crusted stone.
Petrography: (J.Gattacceca, CEREGE) Brecciated recrystallized chondrite, with mm-sized clasts (to 4 mm) set in a clastic matrix. Abundant triple junctions. Opaque minerals are metal and troilite.
The Chelyabinsk meteorite fell on February 15, 2013 in Russia.
With a diameter of around 17 metres, the bolide fragmented in the atmosphere. The energy released by this phenomenon is equivalent to 30 times the Hiroshima bomb, creating enormous damage.
More than 1,000 people were injured as a result. Indeed, since light travels much faster (300,000 km/s) than sound (340m/s), people stood behind their windows to observe the light phenomenon, only for the shockwave to arrive a minute later, shattering hundreds of panes of glass and partially damaging a factory, causing many injuries from broken glass.
The Chelyabinsk meteorite fell on February 15, 2013 in Russia.
With a diameter of around 17 metres, the bolide fragmented in the atmosphere. The energy released by this phenomenon is equivalent to 30 times the Hiroshima bomb, creating enormous damage.
More than 1,000 people were injured as a result. Indeed, since light travels much faster (300,000 km/s) than sound (340m/s), people stood behind their windows to observe the light phenomenon, only for the shockwave to arrive a minute later, shattering hundreds of panes of glass and partially damaging a factory, causing many injuries from broken glass.
The Chelyabinsk meteorite fell on February 15, 2013 in Russia.
With a diameter of around 17 metres, the bolide fragmented in the atmosphere. The energy released by this phenomenon is equivalent to 30 times the Hiroshima bomb, creating enormous damage.
More than 1,000 people were injured as a result. Indeed, since light travels much faster (300,000 km/s) than sound (340m/s), people stood behind their windows to observe the light phenomenon, only for the shockwave to arrive a minute later, shattering hundreds of panes of glass and partially damaging a factory, causing many injuries from broken glass.
