The Berduc L6 chondrite fall : meteorite characterization, trajectory, and orbital elements

Abstract

The fall of the Berduc meteorite took place on April 7, 2008, at 01 h 02 min 28 s +/- 1 s UTC. A daylight fireball was witnessed by hundreds of people from Argentina and Uruguay, and also recorded by an infrasound array in Paraguay. From the available data, the fireball trajectory and radiant have been reconstructed with moderate accuracy. The modeled trajectory was tested to fit the infrasound and strewn field data. From the computed apparent radiant alpha = 87 +/- 2 degrees and delta = -11 +/- 2 degrees and taking into account a range of plausible initial velocities, we obtained a range of orbital solutions. All of them suggest that the progenitor meteoroid originated from the main asteroid belt and followed an orbit of low inclination. Based on petrography, mineral chemistry, magnetic susceptibility, and bulk chemistry, the Berduc meteorite is classified as an L6 ordinary chondrite.