Spain gets first approved meteorite in 50 years
“Valencia” is a chondrite (silicate-rich stony meteorite)
and forms part of the rock collection of the Department of
Geology of the University of Valencia, Spain. The
Meteorite Nomenclature Committee of the Meteoritical
Society has recently approved Valencia as a meteorite.
Despite being the only meteorite from Spain authenticated
in the last 50 years, the historical documents that could
have shed light on the exact location and date of its fall
were destroyed by a fire that razed most of the University
of Valencia in 1932.
The study of Valencia has led to the recovery of a unique
specimen that had been gathering dust in the collection of a
small university. The meteorite’s international approval
has also renewed interest in meteorite research in Spain.
This newly found, unique piece of scientific and geological
heritage can currently be seen in the museum of the
Department of Geology at the University of Valencia.
Valencia meteorite (Department
of Geology, University of
Valencia, Spain). Note the
numerous imprints of
atmospheric flight
(regmaglypts).
To date, there have been 35 meteorite falls registered in
Spain, of which about 60 percent correspond to wellcatalogued samples. References do exist regarding falls on
Spain’s east coast: Oliva-Gandía in 1520, Valencia in
1603, and Peñíscola in 1916. Unfortunately, no specimens
are known to exist. Thus, the meteorite Valencia cannot be
clearly assigned to a specific event.
Valencia is a parallelepiped-shaped specimen measuring 37 by 24.5 by 19.5
centimeters, weighing 33.5 kilograms, and having an average density of 3.7 grams per
cubic centimeter. Externally, it displays a 1-millimeter-thick, dark-fusion crust and
numerous imprints of atmospheric flight (regmaglypts and friction striae).
Transmitted and reflected light microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies, as well as
electron microprobe analyses, indicate that Valencia is composed of silicates (forsterite,
clinoenstatite, and minor albite), iron-nickel alloys (kamacite, taenite), sulphides
(troilite), oxides (periclase, hercynite) and sulphates (yavapaiite).
Geochemically, Valencia matches the ordinary H5-type chondrite.
Estimated exposition ages for Valencia, based on isotopes of helium, neon, and argon,
indicate an average exposition age of 6.9 Ma, with a possible loss of helium. Ages of
gas retention, based on isotopes of helium and argon, suggest that the loss of helium
was greater than that of argon. Researchers are still investigating whether this loss was
conditioned by a subsequent impact, after the individualization impact of Valencia from
the parent body, or resulted from other processes.
J. Muñoz Sanz and J. Martinez-Frias, Departamento de Geología, Museo Nacional
de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain
B. Lavielle and E. Gilabert, Centre d’Etudes Nucleaires de Bordeaux-Gradignan,
Universite de Bordeaux, France