Meteorite

LL chondrite

LL kondrit

The rock of Chelyabinsk and asteroid Itokawa: the ordinary-chondrite group with the least iron, the least metal and the largest chondrules.

Also known as: Amphoterite (obsolete)

Popularly: Meteorite

NWA 778, an LL6 chondrite found in northwest AfricaPhoto: Meteorite Recon . · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

ID card

Hardness (Mohs)5–7

Specific gravity2.99–3.43 g/cm³

Colours

black (fusion crust)
light grey (interior)
with large chondrules

Composition: Total iron is 19–22%, but only 0.3–3% is metallic; most of the iron sits in the silicates as iron oxide. The main minerals are hypersthene (a pyroxene) and olivine (26–32 mol% fayalite), with iron–nickel, troilite, feldspar or feldspathic glass, chromite and phosphates.
Texture: It has the largest chondrules of the ordinary chondrites (about 1 mm on average). Most are petrologic types 5 and 6 and many are breccias; some of the most primitive ordinary chondrites, such as Semarkona, also belong here.
Lustre: Dull
Transparency: Opaque

Place on the value ladder

Step 5/9 ·Ornamental stone

This information is educational, not buying, selling or investment advice. Value varies enormously with quality and treatment.

In short

LL chondrites are the least abundant group of ordinary chondrites, about 10–11% of observed ordinary-chondrite falls and 8–9% of all meteorite falls. “LL” stands for low total iron and low metal. The Chelyabinsk meteorite, which exploded over Russia in 2013, is an LL chondrite. The particles that Japan's Hayabusa spacecraft brought back from the asteroid Itokawa also turned out to be LL chondrite material.

How does it form?

LL chondrites come from an asteroid that formed at the start of the Solar System from dust and chondrules but never fully melted. Their total iron is a little lower than in H and L chondrites; the main difference is that very little of the iron is metallic, most of it sitting as iron oxide in the silicate minerals.

Most LL chondrites were heated on their parent body into petrologic types 5 and 6, in which mineral compositions are evened out and chondrule borders blurred. Many are breccias, broken and stuck together again by collisions. Small LL-type asteroids such as Itokawa are fragments of a large parent body.

What is it used for?

Asteroid samples: Comparison with the samples Hayabusa returned from Itokawa confirmed the link between meteorites and asteroids.
Primitive material: Little-altered LL chondrites such as Semarkona are used to study chondrule formation in the early Solar System.
Impact hazard: The Chelyabinsk event showed how LL-type asteroids break up in the atmosphere.

Famous LL chondrites

Ensisheim (LL6, 1492, France) is the oldest European stony fall with material still preserved. Chelyabinsk (LL5, 2013, Russia) is one of the best-documented meteor events of the century. Semarkona (LL3.0) is among the most studied primitive ordinary chondrites.

What determines its value?

LL chondrites are rarer than H and L chondrites. A piece's value depends on its mass, the freshness of its fusion crust, whether the large chondrules show in a cut face and above all whether it belongs to a famous fall such as Chelyabinsk or Ensisheim.

This information is educational, not buying, selling or investment advice. Value varies enormously with quality and treatment.

How to recognise it

1
A black fusion crust outside; light grey inside.
2
It has the largest chondrules of the ordinary chondrites (about 1 mm on average).
3
With so little metallic iron, shiny metal grains on a cut face are much sparser than in H and L chondrites.

Myths and misconceptions

MythLL chondrites are a transition between chondrites and achondrites.
FactIn the 19th century Tschermak thought so, because of their low metal and faint chondrule borders, and named them “amphoterites”. Today LL chondrites are known to be quite different from achondrites, and the name is no longer used.

Did you know?

The particles brought back by Hayabusa, which landed on Itokawa, directly confirmed a link between an asteroid and a meteorite group: Itokawa's material is LL chondrite.

The LL group includes Semarkona (type 3.0), one of the best-studied primitive ordinary chondrites.

In the 19th century the mineralogist Tschermak thought these meteorites were a transition between chondrites and achondrites and called them “amphoterites”.

Where is it found?

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Lake Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia · Known localityLL5 chondrite pieces of the asteroid that exploded over the Urals in 2013; the 654 kg main mass was raised from the lake.
Ensisheim, Alsace, France · Historic sourceAn LL6 chondrite that fell in 1492; the oldest European stony fall with material still preserved.

Locations are approximate to protect sites. Red dots mark places in Türkiye. Open in the big map →

Frequently asked questions

What is lL chondrite?

How was it proved that LL chondrites come from an asteroid?

The Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa landed on the asteroid Itokawa, collected particles from its surface and brought them back to Earth. They turned out to be LL chondrite material, confirming with real samples the link between a meteorite group and a particular type of asteroid.

What is lL chondrite used for?

Asteroid samples: Comparison with the samples Hayabusa returned from Itokawa confirmed the link between meteorites and asteroids. Primitive material: Little-altered LL chondrites such as Semarkona are used to study chondrule formation in the early Solar System. Impact hazard: The Chelyabinsk event showed how LL-type asteroids break up in the atmosphere.

How hard is lL chondrite?

It has a hardness of 5–7 on the Mohs scale. It can scratch glass; a steel knife scratches it only with difficulty. Its specific gravity is 2.99–3.43 g/cm³.

Where is lL chondrite found?

Its best-known localities: Ensisheim, Alsace, France; Lake Chebarkul, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia.

How can you tell if lL chondrite is real?

A black fusion crust outside; light grey inside. It has the largest chondrules of the ordinary chondrites (about 1 mm on average). With so little metallic iron, shiny metal grains on a cut face are much sparser than in H and L chondrites.

Is lL chondrite valuable?

On the “street to diamond” value ladder it sits on step 5 of nine: Ornamental stone. LL chondrites are rarer than H and L chondrites. A piece's value depends on its mass, the freshness of its fusion crust, whether the large chondrules show in a cut face and above all whether it belongs to a famous fall such as Chelyabinsk or Ensisheim.