Recent 2023 Witnessed Fall! El Menia Meteorite (Individual) - 17.2g

On the morning of Saturday, March 11, 2023, at approximately 10:30 AM local time, a brilliant fireball was observed traveling north to south across the skies of Algeria and Mauritania. Eyewitnesses, including residents of El Menia, reported a loud sonic boom followed by meteorite stones striking the ground. Many specimens were found bearing a fresh fusion crust, with some exhibiting a distinct bluish hue. Evidence suggests several stones bounced upon impact, leaving marks in the desert sand! 

Stones were recovered shortly after the fall. The main strewn field lies southwest of El Menia in the Hassi Walen area. Over 100 fragments were collected, weighing between less than 1 gram to over 1 kilogram, totaling an estimated 75 kg.  

This specimen is an ordinary chondrite (L5), featuring sparse chondrules in a matrix of secondary recrystallized feldspar, with accessory Fe-Ni metal, troilite, merrillite, and chromite.