Aguas Zarcas is one of the most scientifically celebrated meteorite falls of the 21st century — a primitive CM2 carbonaceous chondrite that fell on April 23, 2019 over Alajuela province, Costa Rica (10°23'29"N, 84°20'28"W). The fireball was captured on multiple volcano observatory cameras and witnessed across a wide swath of the country. The first recovered stone — 1,152g — crashed through a house; a second stone struck a dog house. Hundreds of fusion-crusted stones were recovered across a 6.3 × 3.3 km strewn field. Total recovered mass is approximately 27 kg, of which ~11 kg was collected before rain fell — making pre-rain material especially prized.
This specimen is a fragment weighing 1.75 grams, measuring 17 × 14 × 10 mm. The dark gray, matrix-dominated interior is characteristic of the chondrule-poor lithology that constitutes ~80% of examined Aguas Zarcas material. Aguas Zarcas is closely related to the Murchison meteorite and contains complex organic compounds, amino acids, and presolar grains
Classification Data
Classification: CM2 Carbonaceous Chondrite
Observed Fall: Yes — April 23, 2019
Location: Aguas Zarcas, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Shock Stage: Low
Total Known Mass: ~27 kg
Classifier: L. Garvie, ASU; K. Ziegler, UNM
Type Specimen: 248g — Arizona State University
Published: Meteoritical Bulletin MB 108 (2020)
Comes with a labeled specimen card. All sales are final on meteorites.
