Thuathe Meteorite | 3 gr | H4-5 Chondrite | Observed Fall | Lesotho | 99% Crusted | SO24

This is a great looking fresh individual Thuathe H4-5 classified meteorite weighing 3 grams, with dimensions of 17x11x7 mm.  It is 99% fusion crusted, which is the most desirable specimen state.  

A meteorite travelling east to west exploded over Lesotho producing an elliptical strewn field extending 7.4 by 1.9 km (bearing: ~276°) on the westernmost lobe of the Thuathe (or Berea) Plateau, ~12 km east of the capital city of Maseru.

The explosion was accompanied by an extraordinarily loud, 15 s long noise which was heard over a large (100 km radius) area of Lesotho; the fall was eye-witnessed by several people who reported sightings of dust trails of “sparkling objects” over Lesotho and the southern part of the Free State Province of South Africa. Many villagers of Ha Ralimo, Boqate Ha Majara, and Boqate Ha Sofonia reported falls of stones close to themselves and onto their homes. The estimated total mass of recovered material is ~30 kg, including 418 stones in the 2 g to 2.4 kg mass range for a total of 24.673 kg which were collected and catalogued by A. Ashworth and David P. Ambrose

Most freshly cut slices from several stones show a homogeneous beige to light-grey lithology speckled with abundant and heterogeneously distributed (20% to, in exceptional cases, >50 vol%) metal particles; some are cross­cut by dark shock veinlets and show brecciated structure with light grey matrix surrounding lighter colored, well-rounded inclusions; chondrules distinctly recognizable.

Would be a beautiful addition to any new or existing collection. Comes in a protective case, and includes a Michael Farmer Meteorites, a Mark Bostick Collection and a Canagem® Collection specimen card.