Northwest Africa 3009

NWA 3009 meteorite
Type	Chondrite
Class	Ordinary chondrite
Group	L4-6
Shock stage	S3
Weathering grade	W2
Country	Northwest Africa
Region	Zag, Morocco
Observed fall	No
Found date	2001
TKW	1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb)
Alternative names	Northwest Africa 3009

The NWA 3009 meteorite was found in Northwest Africa during 2001.

Name

Meteorites are usually named after the village nearest their place of discovery. Those found in the deserts of Northwest Africa have mostly been called NWA (for Northwest Africa) followed by a serial number.

History

Like all L chondrites NWA 3009 probably comes from the asteroid 433 Eros, which may have collided millions of years ago with another fragment in the asteroid belt. The debris from the collision departed on an eccentric path, eventually crossing Earth's orbit and impacting as meteorites. The reflectance spectra of Eros correspond quite accurately with those of the L-and LL-chondrites.

It is held in a private collection in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony.

Samples from the meteorite are held by the Mineralogical Museum of the University of Hamburg and the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz.

See also

• Glossary of meteoritics