Phum Sambo meteorite, Kâmpóng Cham Province, Cambodiai

Regional Level Types
Phum Sambo meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Kâmpóng Cham Province	Province
Cambodia	Country

Ordinary chondrite (H4; S1)
Fell, 9 Jan 1933, 16:30 hrs; 7.8 kg

A 7.8 kg mass and some small fragments were collected. Olivine and low Ca-pyroxene compositions (Fa18.6 & Fs16.5, resp.) are characteristic of the H-chondrite geochemical group. Mineralogically the meteorite consists primarily of dominant olivine, somewhat lesser amounts of low-Ca pyroxene) with minor amounts of Fe-Ni metal (mostly kamacite), troilite and plagioclase reported. Accessory chromite, ilmenite, and primary magnetite have also been reported. Shock indicators (level S1) are quite mild.

Phum Sambo literature has focused more on chronology than mineralogy. A 4.567 Ga I-Xe age places formation of the Phum Sambo original parent body (OPB) in the earliest epochs of Solar System history. Phum Sambo's 8.0 Ma cosmic ray exposure (CRE) age appears to be part of a peak in CRE ages for H-group chondrites — suggesting that the Phum Sambo meteoroid was involved in a major collision with other recent H chondrite falls.

The H (relatively high in total iron) chondrites are the second largest group of ordinary chondrite falls representing nearly 40% of the well-classified witnessed falls. The H4 petrologic type itself accounts for less than 20% of H-group chondrites. Currently, Phum Sambo is the 21st most massive meteorite fall classified exactly as an H4 chondrite (May 2017). [Ochansk, an 1887 Russian fall, is the most massive witnessed H4 fall.]

The main mass has been kept at the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle (Paris) with smaller samples held elsewhere.

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References