Bulk chemical composition of Sołtmany chondrite

The authors examined the bulk chemical composition of the Sołtmany chondrite which fell on April 30th, 2011 in Northern Poland. Based on the analysis of 47 elements, it was concluded that Sołtmany is representative of L-type of ordinary chondrites. However, compared to the average values observed in other L-type ordinary chondrites, Sołtmany displays higher content of Ni, P, Cd, Pb, and As. The Ni and P content closely resembles typical values for H-type ordinary chondrites. Furthermore, Sołtmany displays other distinct properties including very low Zn content and lower contents of Mo and Zr than the average values found in other L-type ordinary chondrites. Consistent with other L-type ordinary chondrites, the absolute content of REE in Sołtmany is higher than that of CI-type carbonaceous chondrites while the REE trend lines for both Sołtmany and CI-chondrites are similar. Due to similar times of year of when both falls took place and the proximity of their strewn fields, the chemical composition of Sołtmany was compared with that of Jesenice, an L6 ordinary chondrite which fell on April 9th, 2009 in Europe. The analysis led to a conclusion that Sołtmany and Jesenice are not launch-paired. Nevertheless, even though they do not represent fragments of the same meteoroid, their origin on a common parent body (an asteroid – planetesimal) cannot be conclusively ruled out on the sole basis of their bulk chemical composition.