Bensour - LL6 Ordinary Chondrite

Bensour is a possible witnessed LL6 Ordinary Chondrite fall from the Morocco and Algeria border region, associated with reports from nomads on 11 February 2002. Although the eyewitness accounts were not detailed enough for every source to treat it as a fully confirmed fall, it is widely collected as a fresh fall-type meteorite with strong provenance. With an estimated total recovered mass of more than 45 kg, Bensour is one of the more recognisable modern North African Ordinary Chondrites. 

Bensour specimens are typically very pale grey internally, often contrasting strongly with a glossy black fusion crust. As an LL Chondrite, it has low total iron and low metallic iron compared with H and L Chondrites, while its type 6 classification indicates a high degree of thermal metamorphism on its parent asteroid. Original chondrules are generally subdued, but the material still preserves the overall structure and chemistry of an Ordinary Chondrite. 

Studying Bensour provides insight into LL Chondrite parent bodies, thermal alteration, and the recovery of fresh meteorite material from desert environments. For collectors, it offers a visually appealing combination of pale interior, dark fusion crust, modern fall context, and recognised LL6 classification. Each specimen represents ancient asteroid material formed over 4.5 billion years ago, delivered to Earth in a well-known early 21st-century event.