Meteorites from the Lut Desert (Iran)

A new meteorite collection region in the Lut Desert, Iran, has been identified, yielding over 200 ordinary chondrites (OCs) with distinct weathering patterns. The most abundant are highly weathered H5 and well-preserved L5 meteorites, primarily found in the Kalut area. Unlike other deserts, these meteorites show unique terrestrial weathering effects, including troilite transformation into pyrite/marcasite and enrichment of mobile elements like Li, Sr, Mo, Ba, Tl, Th, and U, while V, Cr, Co, Rb, and possibly Fe decrease. Carbon and CaCO3 levels are higher than in other hot deserts, providing distinctive indicators for Lut Desert meteorites. Radiocarbon dating suggests terrestrial ages of 10–30 ka, comparable to other hot deserts except the Atacama. The study highlights the Lut Desert's potential for preserving meteorites, offering valuable material for future research.

Pourkhorsandi, H., Gattacceca, J., Rochette, P., D’Orazio, M., Kamali, H., de Avillez, R., Letichevsky, S., Djamali, M., Mirnejad, H., Debaille, V., & Jull, A. J. T. (2019). Meteorites from the Lut Desert (Iran). Meteoritics & Planetary Science, 54(8), 1737–1763. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/maps.13311