Soroti meteorite, Soroti, Eastern Region, Ugandai

Regional Level Types
Soroti meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Soroti	District
Eastern Region	Region
Uganda	Country

Iron, Troilite-rich (I-ung, Of)
Fall 17 Dec 1945; 2.05 kg, 4 pieces

In spite of a thunderous midday entry, only 4 relatively small ragged pieces of the unusually troilite-rich meteorite were recovered within a 1-2 km of each other.

While Soroti's Fe-Ni metal (12 % Ni) is characterized by abundant kamacite, taenite, and plessite characteristic of moderately Ni-rich iron meteorites, both its irregular exterior — with abundant ablation pits — and its spongy interior have been influenced by the unusually high troilite content (~60 vol%).

Minor Schreibersite, graphite, and trace amounts of other sulfides were also found during the first examinations.

While Soroti is a witnessed fall, limonite stains in the crust are apparently due to delays in removing some pieces from local laterite soils.

In recent decades, as new techniques have been applied to this very unusual meteorite, minor amounts of native copper, chromite, phosphates, and additional sulfides have been reported.

Ungrouped irons constitute ~11% of the fully classified iron meteorites.

However, Soroti is one of only 4 witnessed I-ung falls.

The main mass (1.7 kg) is with the Geological Survey of Uganda (Entebbe).

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References