K Group (Kakangariites)
K Chondrites
Synonyms: kakangariites, Kakangari-like chondrites
General: The chondrites of this rather small grouplet are named for their type specimen, Kakangari, a meteorite that fell in Tamil Nadu, India, in 1890. Together with two finds it makes up its own, very unusual group of chondrites.
Description & Mineralogy: All K chondrites known thus far belong to the unequilibrated petrologic type 3. They are rich in the iron sulfide, troilite, and show numerous primitive, armored chondrules.
Formation history & Origin: The kakangariites are unique in their chemical composition, and they show an oxygen-isotopic signature that distinguishes them from all other chondrite groups and clans. All of this indicates that the K chondrites must have had their origin in a small, primitive parent body that has yet to be identified.
Members: There are just three K chondrites known: Kakangari, Lea County 002, and Lewis Cliff 87232. With a total known weight below 400 grams, they represent one of the most rare meteorite groups found on Earth and we dearly hope that additional K chondrites will show up in the wealth of new meteorites that are currently found in the hot deserts of Northwest Africa and Oman, or in the blue-ice fields of Antarctica.