Mooresfort meteorite (Tipperary meteorite), Tipperary County, Munster, Irelandi

Regional Level Types
Mooresfort meteorite (Tipperary meteorite)	Meteorite Fall Location
Tipperary County	County
Munster	Province
Ireland	Country

Ordinary chondrite, xenolithic (H5)
Fell, August 1810; 3.52 kg, single stone

A single stone fell during the night. Within the meteorite chondrules (0.2-0.9 mm) with somewhat indistinct boundaries are present with porphyritic olivine (PO) and radiating pyroxene (RP) chondrules most prominent. Silicates (mostly olivine, pyroxenes, and minor albitic plagioclase) account for nearly 80 vol% of the meteorite. Fe-Ni metal and troilite in a ~2:1 ratio account for most of the rest. Nearly uniform olivine (Fa19) and pyroxene (Fs15) plus bulk iron (~25.5 wt%) found in most sections of Mooresfort are characteristic of the H chondrite geochemical group. The Ca-poor pyroxenes include both orthopyroxene and clinopyroxene as frequently occurs with petrologic type 5. Minor accessory chromite and phosphate are also present. In addition xenoliths with olivine composition (Fa~22) have been reported. Black veinlets provide additional evidence of preterrestrial impact(s).

Mooresfort is one of 171 witnessed falls listed exactly as an H5 with The Meteoritical Bulletin DataBase (February 2016). The H group of ordinary chondrites (ordinary chondrites relatively low in total iron) account for a little more than 30% of all meteorite falls with the H5 falls the most abundant petrological type within the group.

The largest portion of remaining mass (1.3 kg in 2000) is with the National Museum of Ireland (Dublin) with ~1 kg distributed elsewhere.

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References