Bholghati meteorite, Deoli pargana, Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, Indiai

Regional Level Types
Bholghati meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Deoli pargana	- not defined -
Mayurbhanj district	District
Odisha	State
India	Country

Fall, 29 Oct 1905; 2.5 kg, 2 stones
Howardite with eucritic, diogenitic and carbonaceous clasts

After detonations, two stones fell only 500 meters apart at the village of Bholghati. Like all Howardites, Bholghati is a breccia composed primarily of eucritic and diogenitic fragments, which were incompletely mixed by impacts and metamorphism after their original formation ~4.5 billion years ago on their ancient home world. Highly variable, but anorthite-rich eucritic components account for just over half of Bholghati's bulk, while orthopyroxene-rich diogenitic material accounts for most of the rest. Minute monomineralic fragments abound, but larger single mineral clasts and multi-mineral aggregates are found as well. While most larger clasts are readily recognized as eucrite and diogenite fragments, a few carbonaceous chondrite-like fragments are also present. Indeed, the carbonaceous material accounts for ~ 3% of the meteorite - including clasts rich in CM and CR2 material. Minor silicates and opaques found in most HED meteorites are found, but the meteorite's total mineralogical inventory is further enriched by the addition of phyllosilicates, Ni-bearing sulfides, and other low temperature phases found in the carbonaceous clasts. Very small amounts of Fe-rich metal are found - some is ordinary meteoritic Fe-Ni metal (mostly kamacite), but Ni-poor iron is also reported.

As is true of most igneously derived meteorites in the Howardite-Eucrite-Diogenite clan (HED meteorites) most of the Bholgati eucritic and matrix material crystallized ~4.5 billion yeas ago. However, K-Ar ages and disturbed Rb-Sr patterns indicate subsequent important event(s) occurring < three billion yeas ago [presumably impact(s)]. At some point, a moderately small asteroidal fragment was launched into space. Cosmic ray ages suggest that sometime in the past ~20 million years or so, Bholghati became part of an even smaller meteoroid with an orbit designed for an impact with earth. Oxygen isotope systematics and Fe-Mn ratios indicate that Bholgati is one of the many 'normal' HED meteorites apparently derived from a single parent body. At the present time, Vesta appears to have been that parent body. [A few meteorites (e.g., Ibitira, Pasamonte) are apparent HED 'look-a-likes' from a separate parent body, but Bholgati is not one of them.]

Bholgati photos available at the Meteoritical Bulletin Database provide a nice visual match for the mineralogy and geochemistry summarized here. Most areas are dominated by milky white plagioclase, accompanied by translucent pyroxenes. The various clasts of different colors and sizes include a few greenish pyroxenites and smaller, much darker carbonaceous clasts.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References