Österplana 065 (Öst 65) is an

Ordovician The Ordovician ( ) is a geologic period and System (geology), system, the second of six periods of the Paleozoic Era (geology), Era. The Ordovician spans 41.6 million years from the end of the Cambrian Period million years ago (Mya) to the start ...

fossil meteorite found in the Thorsberg quarry in Sweden on June 26, 2011, and scientifically described in 2016. Measuring 8×6.5×2 cm, it impacted the Earth 470 million years ago, during the

According to the naming conventions of the

Meteoritical Society The Meteoritical Society is a non-profit scholarly organization founded in 1933 to promote research and education in planetary science with emphasis on studies of meteorites and other extraterrestrial materials that further our understanding of the ...

, the meteorite was named after the locality at which it was found, Österplana. The meteorite type does not fit into existing

meteorite classification In meteoritics, a meteorite classification system attempts to group similar meteorite, meteorites and allows scientists to communicate with a standardized terminology when discussing them. Meteorites are classified according to a variety of chara ...

. It was preliminarily classified as "

winonaite Winonaites are a group of primitive achondrite meteorites. Like all primitive achondrites, winonaites share similarities with chondrites and achondrites. They show signs of metamorphism, partial melting, brecciation and relic chondrules. Thei ...

-like". The level of chromium isotope ⁵⁴Cr in Österplana 065 is similar to those in

ordinary chondrite The ordinary chondrites (sometimes called the O chondrites) are a class of stony chondritic meteorites. They are by far the most numerous group, comprising 87% of all finds. Hence, they have been dubbed "ordinary". The ordinary chondrites are th ...

s, while

oxygen isotopes There are three known stable isotopes of oxygen (8O): Oxygen-16, , Oxygen-17, , and Oxygen-18, . Radioactive isotope, Radioactive isotopes ranging from to have also been characterized, all short-lived. The longest-lived radioisotope is with a ...

are similar to those in some rare

primitive achondrite Primitive achondrites are a subdivision of meteorites. They are classified on the same rank (historically called "Class") and lying between chondrites and achondrites. They are called primitive because they are achondrites that have retained much ...

s. Österplana 065 also features a

chromium Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...

spinel Spinel () is the magnesium/aluminium member of the larger spinel group of minerals. It has the formula in the cubic crystal system. Its name comes from the Latin word , which means ''spine'' in reference to its pointed crystals. Properties S ...

–

rutile Rutile is an oxide mineral composed of titanium dioxide (TiO2), the most common natural form of TiO2. Rarer Polymorphism (materials science), polymorphs of TiO2 are known, including anatase, akaogiite, and brookite. Rutile has one of the highest ...

assemblage, not observed in other meteorites. Österplana 065 is believed to have originated from a larger

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

, and belongs to a meteorite type that does not presently fall on the Earth.

References

External links

Entry in Meteoritical Bulletin Database
NY Times, June 16, 2016 {{DEFAULTSORT:Osterplana 065 Meteorites found in Sweden Ordovician Sweden

See also

References

External links