Nuevo Mercurio

Olivine-bronzite, H5
Witnessed fall in Zacatecas, Mexico, on December 15, 1978

The sound of the tempest, bone-shattering roars of a bolide thundered over the cold skies above north-central Mexico at 1850 hrs. on December 15, 1978. The brilliant spectacle could be seen as far as 200 kilometers away as it rained several meteorites in a large 10-kilometer ellipsis a little ways north of the (no-longer-sleeping) village of Nuevo Mercurio. Today, the Nuevo Mercurio strewnfield has produced over 300 individual stones totaling up to about 50 kilograms. This olivine-bronzite chondrite boasts a lasting bold fusion crust and carries with it a reminder of the New Year’s gift of a jolting clap from the cosmos.