Leedey meteorite, Dewey County, Oklahoma, USAi

Regional Level Types
Leedey meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Dewey County	County
Oklahoma	State
USA	Country

Ordinary chondrite, (L6; S3; W0)
Fell, 25 November 1943; 51.5 kg


During the early evening (~ 7PM) a bright fireball was seen traveling for ~ 400 km over a northwestwardly path from north central Texas to south central Oklahoma where it broke apart near Leedey, Oklahoma. The meteorite fell during a period of wartime restrictions, but a dedicated search led mostly by the two renown meteorite hunters, Oscar Monnig and Harvey H. Nininger, resulted in the recovery of 24 separate stones over the next year. All of the stones were recovered along a narrow 17 km long strewnfield with the smallest piece (57 g) and largest piece (20.4 kg) found at the SE and NW ends, respectively, of the strewn field. As the pieces were recovered at different times and because of imperfect storage conditions a number of pieces are partially stained by iron oxides. However, they are not in the main terribly weathered.

The meteorite itself is classified as an L6 ordinary chondrites. Several analyses indicate bulk iron contents (~24.2 wt% Fe) plus olivine (Fa~25) and low Ca-pyroxene (Fs~21) compositions characteristic of the L chondrites. Texturally, the usually indistinct chondrules are intergrown within a recrystallized matrix. Mineralogically, the meteorite is dominated by olivine and pyroxene with minor albitic plagioclase grains[>50 µm], troilite, and Fe-Ni metal. Accessory chromite, phosphates and other minor silicates are also reported. Several indicators of significant shock (level S3) are present. Planar fractures and mosaicism in olivine, small shock pockets adjacent to metal, and metal grains containing finely dispersed troilite are most notable. Odd inclusions include a 6x8 mm composite metal-sulfide grain with pyrophanite and other phases.

The L (relatively low in total iron) chondrites are the largest group of ordinary chondrites and represent ~40% of the classified witnessed falls with the L6 petrologic type representing the great majority (~70 %) of the total L group). Leedey is the 18th largest of the 271 meteorite falls classified exactly as an L chondrite (as of May 2016). The largest portions of the Leedey meteorite were obtained by Walter Monnig and became part of the Monnig Collection at Texas Christian University. A 10.7 kg portion is held by the Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University.

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References