Description
A famous meteorite which killed a cow.
Valera
Trujillo, Venezuela
Fell 1972 October 15
Ordinary chondrite (L5)
On the evening of 1972 October 15, a bright light accompanied by a loud noise was witnessed near the El Tinajero farm. The next morning, Dr. Arginiro Gonzales and his guest, Juan Dionicio Delgado, discovered that a cow had apparently been killed by a falling stone. The stone had broken into three pieces weighing 38, 8, and 4 kg, respectively. The largest specimen remained outdoors for decades after the fall. Classification and mineralogy (A. Rubin, UCLA): olivine, Fa24.2±0.3; shock stage, S4; weathering grade, W3. Specimens: main mass, 24 kg, DPitt; 6 kg, Cott; 4 kg, Alan Lang; type specimen, 100 g, UCLA.
