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120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Sat May 26, 2012 6:44 pm
by David Entwistle
The Geological Survey of India have issued a press release regarding the fall of several meteorites in the Vidharbha area, Maharashtra, India.

Katol a tehsil of Nagpur District Maharashtra has witnessed meteoric impact on 22.05.2012 between 2.00 to 2.30 pm of the day with very loud sound and meteorites hitting the surface of the earth. In order to ascertain the meteoritic impact and collect the meteorite samples, a team of four members headed by Shri. Binod Kumar, Deputy Director General & HOD, GSI, Central Region along with Dr. G. Suresh, Director, Petrology, Shri. S. H. Wankhade and Dr. Mohamed Shareef, Geologists, GSI, Central Region visited Katol on 23.05.2012.

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 10:00 am
by David Entwistle
I see there is now a report detailing the visit of Shri A. Sundaramoorthy, the Director General of the Geological Survey of India, to the region of the Katol meteorite fall on the 22nd / 23rd June 2012. There's a nice picture of the twenty six fragments laid out on a map of the area.

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 12:52 pm
by MeteoritesEire
nice find David--looks like about 2 kilos on the table.Can't really see the interior when blown up though and no preliminary classification data

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 5:38 pm
by Barwellian
I'm not sure, but think this is the fall that caused a little controversy in Ensisheim because material had come out of India. If so, it seems to be a rare type along the lines of Portales valley but with achondritic material inclusions. If anyone knows better then it would be interesting, although I would not want to mention any names. One piece seems to be mainly iron and oriented but the rest mainly stoney. Please correct me if I have missed another recent Indian fall.

Graham

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 8:26 pm
by David Entwistle
I guess the GSI team will publish their findings in due course. The only comment I've seen so far is from The Pune Mirror, which referring to the meteorites from the 22nd May 2012 fall near Katol, India, reports:

GSI said the sample is a stony meteorite (Chondrite) dominated by silicates (olivine and others) with a little iron. These are the oldest rocks in the solar system.


I'm not aware of any other recent fall in India.

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 10:17 am
by Barwellian
hi Dave,

I think this is one of the pieces from that fall....amazing oriented iron....but apparently the rest was nothing like this....mainly stoney!

http://www.rocksfromspace.org/new-fall-2012.html

Not sure if it is still with MF or now with MJ in his collection....he collects mostly aesthetic shaped irons and this is his page?

Graham

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 11:15 am
by Kieron
I might well be wrong, but isn't it illegal to export meteorites from India?

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 5:33 pm
by Matt Smith
Kieron wrote:I might well be wrong, but isn't it illegal to export meteorites from India?


Correct, which probably accounts for the rather secretive posts on the metlist. The collectors community really must respect the law, this gives those that oppose the commercial market for meteorites easy ammunition. I believe somebody was kicked out of the IMCA for selling Sulagiri.

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:36 pm
by Barwellian
Exactly!....that's why I commented on some of the controversy in Ensisheim.

One other thing I'm not sure has been talked about, but I saw in Ensisheim, is the bencubbinite that has been found in Almahatta Sitta....amazing!...what else will be found in this strange rubble pile?

Graham

Re: 120526 - Meteorite Fall Katol, India

PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:00 pm
by MeteoritesEire
bencubinite in Almahata -wow hadn't heard that--what an amazing story that one has been and continues to be