Bogou meteorite, Gayeri Department, Komondjari Province, Est Region, Burkina Fasoi

Regional Level Types
Bogou meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Gayeri Department	Department
Komondjari Province	Province
Est Region	Region
Burkina Faso	Country

IAB Iron, main group; octahedrite (IAB-MG, Og)
Fall 14 Aug 1962; 8.8 kg

Loud sounds like an airplane or a rocket, an explosion, and a flash of light occurred and soon thereafter an iron-rich mass was found within a small crater with a radius of 20-30 cm and depth of ~50 cm. Before cutting, the meteorite consisted of a well-rounded hemispheric dome on one side coupled to a deeply depressed hemisphere on the other side. Both 'halves' are marked with oxide-rich crust while partially and completely melted troilite and troilite-graphite nodules have created small pits. The meteorite is classified as a 'main group' IAB iron, the dominant subgroup of the recently redefined 'IAB complex.' The bulk of the meteorite (Ni ~7 wt%) is dominated by coarse kamacite grains associated with the dominant octahedral structure. Neumann bands indicative of pre-terrestrial shocks are present. As is to be expected for many octahedral irons, the Fe-Ni metal phases are accompanied by minor, but conspicuous troilite, graphite, and schreibersite. In addition, several other sulfides and at least one carbide are also present. While the meteorite was given over to local authorities about two weeks after the fall, stains due to terrestrial weathering have corroded parts of the meteorite and provide a good sample of very fresh weathering products.

As of early December 2014, there had been 10 witnessed falls of IAB complex of iron meteorites. Classified as an IAB-MG iron, however, Bogou is the only witnessed fall belonging to the 'main group' — the most common subgrouping category. The main mass of Bogou has been stored at the U.S. National Museum in Washington, DC.

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References