Hayes Center meteorite, Hayes County, Nebraska, USAi

Regional Level Types
Hayes Center meteorite	Meteorite Fall Location
Hayes County	County
Nebraska	State
USA	Country

Ordinary chondrite, black (L6)
Find, 1941; 4.5 kg

One of several meteorites reported to Nininger subsequent to a series of public lectures and informal discussions in SW Nebraska in the late 1930's. Inspections reveal indistinct chondrules and chondrule fragments within a shock-darkened, but largely equilibrated matrix. Compositionally, equilibrated olivine (Fa23) and low Ca-orthopyroxene ('hypersthene') are characteristic of the L-chondrite geochemical group. Mineralogically, the meteorite consists primarily of dominant olivine with pyroxene accompanied by minor troilite and Fe-Ni metal. Accessory chromite, ilmenite, and isocubanite have also been reported.

A U-He age of 383 Ma and a K-Ar age of 772 Ma indicate an important collision of an intermediate parent body (IMP) during the last eon — possibly as part of a major collision involving large numbers of today's L-group chondrites. A cosmic ray exposure (CRE) age of t ~ 30.0 Ma is likewise shared with a moderately large cohort of L6 chondrites which may be fragments of a much smaller earth-crossing meteoroid which has produced multiple meteorites during the past few tens of million years.

Like many meteorites collected by Harvey Nininger, a large portion of the original mass is at Arizona State University's Center for Meteorite Studies [0.968 kg in 2017].

Other Regions, Features and Areas containing this locality

References