Cyrena Goodrich¹, Addi Bischoff² and David P. O’Brien³

¹Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Ft. Lowell Drive, Tucson, AZ 85179, USA
²Institut für Planetologie, Wilhelm-Klemm-Str. 10, 48149 Münster, Germany
³Planetary Science Institute, 1700 E. Ft. Lowell Drive, Tucson, AZ 85179, USA

On October 6, 2008, the small (~4 m) asteroid 2008 TC₃ was discovered and predicted to hit Earth within ~19 hours. Photometric data and a reflectance spectrum were obtained. The asteroid fragmented at ~37 km altitude above Sudan. Approximately 700 centimeter-sized fragments were recovered and constitute the meteorite Almahata Sitta. It is a unique meteorite breccia, consisting of ~50–70% ureilitic materials, plus samples of nearly every major chondrite group. The reflectance spectrum of 2008 TC₃is closest to that of F-class asteroids, not previously associated with any meteorite type. 2008 TC₃/Almahata Sitta records a complex history of fragmentation, migration, and reaccretion of materials in the Solar System.

Reference
Goodrich C, Bischoff A and O’Brien DP (2014) Asteroid 2008 TC3 and the Fall of Almahata Sitta, a Unique Meteorite Breccia. Elements  10:31-37.
[doi:10.2113/gselements.10.1.31]
Copyright: The Mineralogical Society of America

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