CK5
Purchased August 2000
no coordinates recorded A single 604 g stone was purchased in a market in Erfoud, Morocco by American collectors in August 2000. Black fusion crustMelted exterior of a meteorite that forms when it passes through Earth’s atmosphere. Friction with the air will raise a meteorite’s surface temperature upwards of 4800 K (8180 °F) and will melt (ablate) the surface minerals and flow backwards over the surface as shown in the Lafayette meteorite photograph below. still covers the portion of the meteoriteWork in progress. A solid natural object reaching a planet’s surface from interplanetary space. Solid portion of a meteoroid that survives its fall to Earth, or some other body. Meteorites are classified as stony meteorites, iron meteorites, and stony-iron meteorites. These groups are further divided according to their mineralogy and that was exposed above the desert sands, while the buried portion is encrusted with desert calicheA hardened natural cement of calcium carbonate, CaCO3, binds other materials like gravels and sand. Caliche is generally light-colored, but can range from white (Northwest Africa) to reddish-brown (due to iron in the soil as found in Australia), depending on the impurities present. This caliche often encrusts meteorites found in. The meteorite was classified by Alan Rubin at UCLA as a CK5. Typical of CK chondritesChondrites are the most common meteorites accounting for ~84% of falls. Chondrites are comprised mostly of Fe- and Mg-bearing silicate minerals (found in both chondrules and fine grained matrix), reduced Fe/Ni metal (found in various states like large blebs, small grains and/or even chondrule rims), and various refractory inclusions (such, NWA 060 contains ~75 vol% matrixFine grained primary and silicate-rich material in chondrites that surrounds chondrules, refractory inclusions (like CAIs), breccia clasts and other constituents., 15 vol% chondrulesRoughly spherical aggregate of coarse crystals formed from the rapid cooling and solidification of a melt at  ~1400 ° C. Large numbers of chondrules are found in all chondrites except for the CI group of carbonaceous chondrites. Chondrules are typically 0.5-2 mm in diameter and are usually composed of olivine, and 0.5 vol% CAIsSub-millimeter to centimeter-sized amorphous objects found typically in carbonaceous chondrites and ranging in color from white to greyish white and even light pink. CAIs have occasionally been found in ordinary chondrites, such as the L3.00 chondrite, NWA 8276 (Sara Russell, 2016). CAIs are also known as refractory inclusions since they (Huber et al., 2006). A few vol% of magnetiteFe oxide, FeFe2O4, containing oxidized iron (Fe) found in the matrix of carbonaceous chondrites and as diagnostic component in CK chondrites. In CK chondrites, magnetite is typically chromian, containing several wt. % Cr2O3. is present as grains in the matrix, as curvilinear trails inside of silicates, and as components of small nodules. Minor sulfides, primarily pentlanditeFe-Ni sulfide, (Fe,Ni)9S8, that is often associated with troilite, and found in the matrix and chondrules of CO, CV, CK and CR chondrites. The color is yellow-bronze with light bronze-brown streak and metallic luster. It typically forms during cooling of magmatic sulfide melts during the evolution of parent silicate melt. The and pyrite, also occur. Regions exhibiting crushing were documented by Wasson et al. (2013).
Photo courtesy of Michael Cottingham, © 2000