For trace fossil ichnogenus, see Chondrites (genus).Not to be confused with Chondrodite.
Chondrite
— Type —
A specimen of the NWA 869 chondrite (type L4–6), showing chondrules and metal flakes
Compositional type
Stony
Parent body
Small to medium asteroids that were never part of a body large enough to undergo melting and planetary differentiation.
Petrologic type
3–6
Total known specimens
Over 27,000
A chondrite/ˈkɒndraɪt/ is a stony (non-metallic) meteorite that has not been modified, by either melting or differentiation of the parent body.[a][1] They are formed when various types of dust and small grains in the early Solar System accreted to form primitive asteroids. Some such bodies that are captured in the planet's gravity well become the most common type of meteorite by (whether quickly, or after many orbits) arriving on a trajectory toward the planet's surface. Estimates for their contribution to the total meteorite population vary between 85.7%[2] and 86.2%.[3]
Their study provides important clues for understanding the origin and age of the Solar System, the synthesis of organic compounds, the origin of life and the presence of water on Earth. One of their characteristics is the presence of chondrules (from the Ancient Greek χόνδρος chondros, grain), which are round grains formed in space as molten or partially molten droplets of distinct minerals. Chondrules typically constitute between 20% and 80% of a chondrite by volume.[4]
Chondrites can be distinguished from iron meteorites by their low iron and nickel content. Non-metallic meteorites that lack chondrules are achondrites, which are believed to have formed more recently than chondrites.[5] There are currently over 27,000 chondrites in the world's collections. The largest individual stone ever recovered, weighing 1770 kg, was part of the Jilin meteorite shower of 1976. Chondrite falls range from single stones to extraordinary showers consisting of thousands of individual stones. An instance of the latter occurred in the Holbrook fall of 1912, in which an estimated 14,000 stones grounded in northern Arizona.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
^"2.2 La composición de la Tierra: el modelo condrítico in Planetología. Universidad Complutense de Madrid". Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
^Calvin J. Hamilton (Translated from English by Antonio Bello). "Meteoroides y Meteoritos" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2009.
^Bischoff, A.; Geiger, T. (1995). "Meteorites for the Sahara: Find locations, shock classification, degree of weathering and pairing". Meteoritics. 30 (1): 113–122. Bibcode:1995Metic..30..113B. doi:10.1111/j.1945-5100.1995.tb01219.x. ISSN 0026-1114.
^Axxón. "Pistas químicas apuntan a un origen de polvo para los planetas terrestres" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 3 August 2008. Retrieved 11 May 2009.
^Jordi, Llorca Pique (2004). "Nuestra historia en los meteoritos". El sistema solar: Nuestro pequeño rincón en la vía láctea. Universitat Jaume I. p. 75. ISBN 978-8480214667. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
A chondrite /ˈkɒndraɪt/ is a stony (non-metallic) meteorite that has not been modified, by either melting or differentiation of the parent body. They...
Carbonaceous chondrites or C chondrites are a class of chondritic meteorites comprising at least 8 known groups and many ungrouped meteorites. They include...
Enstatite chondrites (E-type chondrites) are a rare form of meteorite, rich in the mineral enstatite. Only about 200 E-Type chondrites are currently[when...
ordinary chondrites. The ordinary chondrites are thought to have originated from three parent asteroids, with the fragments making up the H chondrite, L chondrite...
The LL chondrites are a group of stony meteorites, the least abundant group of the ordinary chondrites, accounting for about 10–11% of observed ordinary-chondrite...
CM chondrites are a group of chondritic meteorites which resemble their type specimen, the Mighei meteorite. The CM is the most commonly recovered group...
chondrites. The ordinary chondrites are thought to have originated from three parent asteroids, whose fragments make up the H chondrite, L chondrite and...
The ordinary chondrites (sometimes called the O chondrites) are a class of stony chondritic meteorites. They are by far the most numerous group, comprising...
CI chondrites, also called C1 chondrites or Ivuna-type carbonaceous chondrites, are a group of rare carbonaceous chondrite, a type of stony meteorite...
class H chondrite group L chondrite group LL chondrite group Enstatite chondrite class EH chondrite group EL chondrite group Other chondrite groups, not...
in the strewn field. Most meteorites are stony meteorites, classed as chondrites and achondrites. Only about 6% of meteorites are iron meteorites or a...
carbonaceous chondrites and enstatite chondrites in particular have higher sulfur contents than the ordinary chondrites. In C1 and C2 chondrites, sulfur is...
Earth's deep interior. "Note: In chondrite model (1), the light element in the core is assumed to be Si. Chondrite model (2) is a model of chemical composition...
Its diameter is just a few millimeters. It is listed as a carbonaceous chondrite by the Meteoritical Society. Glossary of meteoritics Big Bertha (lunar...
schreibersite, troilite, albite, and daubréelite. It is classed as an enstatite chondrite (EH) by the Meteoritical Society. Glossary of meteoritics Bench Crater...
that the Chicxulub impactor was a C-type asteroid with a carbonaceous chondrite-like composition, rather than a comet. In 1998, a meteorite, approximately...
Ordovician meteor event was a dramatic increase in the rate at which L chondrite meteorites fell to Earth during the Middle Ordovician period, about 467...
in a chondrite. Chondrules form as molten or partially molten droplets in space before being accreted to their parent asteroids. Because chondrites represent...
Epoch, about 467.5 ± 0.28 million years ago, due to the break-up of the L chondrite parent body. It is not associated with any major extinction event. The...
"Meteorite study suggests Earth may have been wet since it formed – Enstatite chondrite meteorites, once considered 'dry,' contain enough water to fill the oceans...
Australia in 1969 near Murchison, Victoria. It belongs to the carbonaceous chondrite class, a group of meteorites rich in organic compounds. Due to its mass...
somewhere between an ordinary chondrite and a carbonaceous chondrite.[citation needed] Typical carbonaceous chondrite substance tends to be dissolved...
Core samples have shown it to have been formed by the impact of an L chondrite asteroid estimated to have been 5 to 10 km (3.1 to 6.2 mi) in diameter...
surface of Mars. The spectra are distinct from those of all classes of chondrite meteorites, again pointing away from an asteroidal origin. Both sets of...
satellites is not well understood. Their low albedo and carbonaceous chondrite composition have been regarded as similar to asteroids, supporting a capture...
understanding of the structure. The impactor is suggested to have been a H chondrite asteroid based on ejecta layers from Italy, with the impactor thought...
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