Location: Moss, Østfold, Norway, ~59º26' N, ~10º42'
Type: Carbonaceous chondrite (CO3.6)
Date of Fall: July 14, 2006, ~10:20 hrs local daylight time (UT+2)
Description:
History and physical characteristics: (G. Raade and K. Ødegaard, UOslo; M. Bilet, NorAS) At about 10:20 am on July 14, 2006, a bright fireball traveling SSE-NNW was witnessed by many people and a loud explosion and a rumbling sound was heard in the air above Moss and Rygge in south Norway, on the east side of the Oslofjord. Shortly after, a small meteorite was heard to land on an aluminum sheet and was recovered. Extensive searches in the area have resulted in the recovery of a total of 5 stones (Table 6). Note that light rainfall occurred in the area on July 29, 30, and 31.
| Table 6: Stones recovered from the Moss fall. | |||||||
| No. | Date (2006) | Latitude (N) | Longitude (E) | Mass (g) | Owner | Comments | |
| 1 | 14 July | 59º24.463' | 10º45.548' | 36.7 | K. J Røed Ødegaard | Complete stone + some fragments. | |
| 2 | 17 July | 59º25.908' | 10º41.778' | 752 | UOslo | Complete; hit tree, landed in grass; angular shape. | |
| 3 | 23 July | ~59º26' | ~10º42' | ~1500 | M-S-T | Half stone + fragments; hit fence and shattered. | |
| 4 | 30 July | 59º27.005' | 10º41.482' | ~800 | Farmer, M. Bilet |
Many pieces; hit concrete in industrial area. | |
| 5 | 3 Aug | 59º26.394' | 10º42.032' | 676 | UOslo | Complete stone; penetrated roof of building; angular shape. | |
M-S-T: Mass divided between Michael Mazur, Bjørn Sørheim, and Eric Twelker.
Petrography: (J. Grossman, USGS; G. MacPherson, SI; L. Chizmadia, UHaw; A. Rubin, UCLA): Contains abundant small chondrules (most < 200 m), small (<1 mm) amoeboid olivine aggregates (AOAs) and refractory inclusions, and isolated grains of olivine, troilite, and kamacite set in a gray matrix. Chondrule types are dominated by type-I PO, with other varieties of type I and II chondrules plus RP, C, and BO all present. All type I chondrules show diffusional entry of FeO around edges and along cracks of forsterite grains. Olivine histogram is flat, resembling that of Ornans (range Fa0.342, average Fa19.9, =65%, n=60); Cr2O3 content of fayalitic olivine is low (0.09±0.09 wt%). Image analysis gives 2.2 vol% metal and 2.4 vol% FeS. Refractory inclusions contain spinel, calcic pyroxene, and abundant nepheline that replaces melilite and other primary phases; some perovskite has been transformed to ilmenite. Some AOAs contain relict cores of forsterite, but most of the olivine has been converted to more fayalitic compositions; degree of oxidation of AOAs is similar to type 3.6 CO chondrites such as . Matrix is mildly recrystallized and sulfur-poor; matrix olivine has similar composition to olivine in fine-grained chondrules and inclusions.
Geochemistry: Magnetic susceptibility (R. Bartoschewitz), log (10-9 m3·kg-1) = 4.68. Oxygen isotopes (I. Franchi and R. Greenwood, OU), average of two replicates, 17O = 5.90ä, 18O = 2.21ä, 17O = 4.75ä.
Classification: Carbonaceous chondrite (CO3.6, scheme of Chizmadia et al., 2002); shock stage S2.
Specimens: Type specimens of 20 g (stone 4) and 2 g (stone 3) are on deposit at SI. Main masses are held by those listed above.
Mass: 3.76kg