Carancas Meteorite Quick Facts
- Name: Carancas
- Year Discovered: 2007
- Approximate Recovery Location: Desaguadero, Chucuíto, Puno, Peru
- Precise Recovery Location: (-16.66444, -69.04389)
- Mass: 342 grams
- Classification: H4-5
- Discovery Type: fall
- Condition: Valid
More Details About the Carancas Meteorite
The Carancas meteorite was discovered in 2007. It was recovered in Desaguadero, Chucuíto, Puno, Peru (-16.66444, -69.04389). It has a mass of 342 grams.
Carancas is considered a “Valid” meteorite. “Valid” meteorites are typical meteorites with average weathering, while “relict” meteorites are those that have been extremely altered, either due to weathering over time or human intervention.
Carancas’s official classification is H4-5. The classification “H4-5” refers to an ordinary chondrite meteorite from the H group that is a breccia composed of both type 4 and type 5 components. These meteorites are characterized by abundant chondrules and have undergone different levels of metamorphism, which altered the mineral composition, including the transformation of low-Ca pyroxene to orthopyroxene in type 5 components. Studying these meteorites provides insights into the history and processes that shaped materials in the early solar system.
The Carancas meteorite is a “fall” meteorite. Meteorites are classified as “falls” if they were observed falling and recovered, while “finds” are those discovered later, often weathered by longer exposure to Earth’s environment and without a record of being seen as they fell.
Do you have information about the Carancas meteorite? Share it with us.
Learn More About Meteorites
Discover more meteorites with our interactive meteorite map.
And get more meteorite facts, updates, news, and more by checking out our meteorite blog and signing up for our email newsletter:
Last Updated: 12/29/23